I
agree with Annie. (Yes, I like to imagine
that I’m on a first-name basis with her and all my other favorite authors.)
Yet,
I want to add a few of my own corollaries to her basic idea:
We
have a Savior who has rescued us from the influence of darkness. Now, we are
under the influence of the Son.
“For
He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the
Kingdom of his dear Son.” (Colossians. 1:11-13 NLT)
“Help!”—when
we are at our most desperate, this is all we need to say. Imagine that you are
drowning. You call out to the lifeguard on duty. Once the lifeguard reaches you
it is counterproductive to struggle and flail about. Neither is it necessary to
offer instructions or suggestions on how you like to be rescued.
“I
Trust You.”—This is an important prayer for me. I have major trust issues. When
my Savior comes near, I need to reiterate this phrase—not to reassure Him, but
to keep myself calm. I have to place my life in His hands. I have to allow Him
to rescue me. I am still a long way from the shore. The Lifeguard will swim
with me all the way back. As I get close to the shore, as soon as I feel my
toes touch the bottom of the ocean floor, I’m tempted to tell Him that I can do
the rest on my own. Bad idea! I should just hang on. He will release me when it
is safe to do so.
“Thanks.”—This
should be the simplest part. Stop and express sincere gratefulness. Don’t be in
a hurry to get away and move on. I’ll be honest—I have a tendency to use this
time to tell God how He could have improved his technique and timing. As if I’m
filling out a customer service survey! I find myself saying things like: I’m thankful, I really am…but next time,
could you be more prompt when I call for help…oh, and don’t hold me so tight—I
could hardly move or breathe.”
“Wow!”—Express
amazement, praise, adoration—again, this is more for my own edification. It
trains me to look higher, to a glory beyond myself.
No comments:
Post a Comment