Light in the Harvest

Yesterday I was out twice, once from 11-12 to catch the "slow happy Sunday morning unchurched" crowd and then after the Chiefs' game to get the "happy the Chiefs played a great game unchurched" crowd. What was funny was talking to people from the first group who swore they went to church, but weren't at church. Then, and I forgot about this, the couple of people we ran into after the game who had too much liquid cheer and were on the down side of its effects.

It must have been something in the day. Most of the non churched I met seemed darker in heart. I still meet people who would have gone to church if a friend had invited them, but yesterday they were saying "no" with gusto. We are very dependent that the Lord show us where he is working and so I'm not put off by the hardness. I know in my own heart, when I was in their situation, that it came and went with the "day" and how I was feeling. Jesus said He came to be a physician to the sick and to call sinners, not the righteous, to repentance. Having ample experience with those hardened by blessing and righteousness, it was interesting to face such hardness of sick hearts. I kind of felt this feeling that Jesus must have had when He said to the Samaritan woman, "If you only knew."

Yesterday I ran into a couple of people bitter against God because of losing someone. After listening to the initial flush of anger, I mentioned that I know what that's like. My salvation is that I'm on the other side of understanding the spiritual reality. So what do we have to defuse this kind of emotional static that people express out of their blindness and hurt. I'm sure there is an apologetic, but there is something even deeper. Along with our knowledge of God from the Word is our knowledge of His working in our lives and working among those He is saving.

This morning in my reading I was struck by Psalm 71 and the repeated mentions of telling of God's glory and work.

7 I have become as a wonder to many, But You are my strong refuge. 8 Let my mouth be filled with Your praise And with Your glory all the day.

16 I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD; I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only.

The "wonder" is as Jesus was, a symbol spoken against, a test revealing the hearts and thoughts of men. The writer is being spoken against. His life is being used as a tool to fight against him, but he takes refuge not in the opinions of the world of people, but in God. His strength is in pure-hearted praising of God, having seen the acts of God's glory and righteousness, purely testifying to His love and greatness.

We get defensive, but God doesn't need us to get defensive. We get weak and sheepish because we look at ourselves. But God asks us to look at Him. He doesn't ask us to look at a book of "25 things God did in the lives of others," or to listen to someone's pod-cast, but to be engaged with Him, seeing His glory, witnessing His love and kindnesses, being strong in Him who himself is mighty, and to tell it. It's sort of like listening honestly, then saying, but let me tell you what He's done and who He is. Our confidence shouldn't be in our logic or our command of biblical data (though important), but rather in our spirit on spirit interaction with the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit in working the fields of this life. Second and third hand stories are OK in a pinch, but the ones that give us the strength to live beyond our fallen flesh and egos are right here in our lives, the help we experience when we walk by faith in danger and daring for the sake of Christ in the harvest. Seeing God work as we are engaged in proclaiming release to the captives and the recovering of sight to the blind are the "miracles" that give us confidence in the Love and Grace and Forgiveness and Wonder of our Father, our Savior and the Spirit who lives within and walks alongside.