Most of you know by now that Paul David Tripp is one of my favorite modern theologians. I began to encounter him years ago, and since then have loved every book he has written. He even shows up quite a bit on the GriefShare videos that I show in my Monday classes. Today I started back into A Shelter in the Time of Storm: Meditations on God and Trouble. What a wonderful reflection he wrote on Psalm 27:11: "Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies."Tripp believes that the life to which God has called us really is a very straight line and a "level path." The problem, of course, is that as sinners, we mess up and take numerous detours instead of following the clear directions that God has given us. Is it any wonder that we get lost or hurt on the path to heaven? Tripp states that we have two problems:
"First we get diverted because we are impatient. The trip to where God is taking us is not an event; it's a process. And the process isn't easy. God's road takes us through the heat of the sun, through storms and cold, through the dark of the night, through loneliness and confusion. So we get tired and impatient and begin to convince ourselves that there is a better way. But, that isn't all.
We get diverted because we are disloyal. Our hearts aren't yet fully committed to God's glory and his kingdom. We are still attracted to the shadow glories of creation, and we still carry around in us allegiance to the small-agenda purposes of the kingdom of self. So in our impatience and disloyalty we see pathways that appear easier and more comfortable, but they only ever lead to danger."
Doesn't this ring true? Don't we get impatient waiting to see God's good providence unfold, and then attempt to speed things up or change them to suit our ideas of what would be best? And the kingdom of self? Ouch, that really hurts because it's so accurate. And all this happens on our good days; tomorrow's post will shed light on what impatience and disloyalty looks like when trials and afflictions disrupt our lives...
Oh yes it's so hard to be patient, in our ever present need to keep going, keep improving, and keep busy we so often go before God and try to "help Him". How weary we can become because we take the wheel and veer off the straight road. Oh if only there were flashing neon street signs keeping us infomed at every few feet as to whether we are still on the straight road. But then that leaves no need for being fully dependant on the one who paved the road now does it? I like David's comment; "The trip to where God is taking us is not an event; it's a process. And the process isn't easy." Some of my best lessons have come from the hard process. DS
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