It's beginning to make sense to me, in a new way, why Jesus says to keep our worries limited to one day at a time. One day is a human sized portion of life- to try and take on all the rest of it at once is just too daunting.
One day alone can contain all the agony of defeat and all the thrill of victory more up close and personal than any one remembered year.
This morning, when I logged onto the Biblegateway, I found this verse. It was in the NIV, but I switched it to the Amplified Bible, because it's just more beautiful in that version:
"The secret [of the sweet, satisfying companionship] of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him, and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its [deep, inner] meaning.
My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for He will pluck my feet out of the net."
Psalm 25:14-15
I was logging on to look up this verse:
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of sympathy (pity and mercy) and the God [Who is the Source] of every comfort (consolation and encouragement), Who comforts (consoles and encourages) us in every trouble (calamity and affliction), so that we may also be able to comfort (console and encourage) those who are in any kind of trouble or distress, with the comfort (consolation and encouragement) with which we ourselves are comforted (consoled and encouraged) by God."
II Corinthians 1:3-4
Isn't that beautiful? I wonder how many verses in the Bible just lie there in waiting, ready to blossom open into a deeper understanding at the right time.
Lately, I've been telling Him that I wish He had put more in the way of the Gospels in the Bible. I wish I could see more of what He did and said. When I bring this up to Christ, He tells me that I can see and know Him, living, in my own life. He's writing a living story with my life and He's all through it, right with me. It's not a story that many people will ever know, but it's still Authored by Him.
Then, this morning, I read this:
For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].
Ephesians 2:10
(What a mind blowing book Ephesians is, by the way! My goodness.)
And He reminds me that it was better that He should go away, so that the Comforter could come.
And He is comforting! I used to read that and think, yes, yes, in theory, His is comforting- in practise, He is demanding. But it was my own awful self judgement that was demanding- it was the implacable law that was demanding. Jesus Himself is comforting.
When He teaches and guides me, He is loving and gentle. When He corrects me, I hardly know it, it's so natural and loving. It's as though He actually were a Good Shepherd! Who knew.
The things He asks us to do, I am realizing, are just common sense. The fruit of the Spirit are principles to live out and grow into, as opposed to specific rules that we follow.
At the end of the day, as I'm lying there in the dark, beating up on myself, He steps in and contradicts me left and right. He really is comforting and encouraging, in very practical and specific ways.
Actually, for a while last night I was so lost in self condemnation that I kept myself away from Him. That's the major problem with self condemnation, in my experience. My shame cuts Him out. And that's very unfortunate-
"For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning.
Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God's unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it]."
Hebrews 4:15-16
Fearlessly and confidently and boldly! Wow. But did He suffer as He did for less than that? Did He die so that we could timidly and shamefully and fearfully entreat Him from a safe distance?
No, clearly. He prefers us to be confident in Him and close to Him, leaning on Him and talking with Him and casting all our cares upon Him. We do this one day at a time.
