April 28, 2002

SEEKING THE LIGHT

"Your statutes stand firm; holiness adorns your house for endless days, O Lord." Psalm 93:5

It is comforting to have God's absolutes when the place where we are standing appears tenuous, ready to swallow us up in grief, anger or resentment. God's statutes are immovable; they do not sway, regardless of emotion, circumstances or consequences. They are the measure against which all thought, motives and action are weighed. They are a secure fence, a boundary in which we can trust for protection. They are the words of the Living God, which passed on, carry no error. We can have unwavering confidence in the truth and good purpose of our message. They are a reflection of a holy and just God, and they are eternal.

God put extraordinary circumstances in my life to call an extraordinarily rebellious child home. He knew what it would take and uses the unrestrained, self-destructive actions of my past to remind me continually that love sets limits, is consistent, and administers discipline. His statutes are a definition of His holiness, a place where He is taking me a step at a time.

When I was in the world, I set my own statutes. These were bent by my own justifications, passions and whims. They led to the confusion fathered by the real perpetrator of "my" statutes -- the enemy who rules this world. For me, that meant drugs, abusive relationships, and raising my children in darkness. For others that may mean pride in moral or intellectual superiority or religious axioms. It may mean using what is deemed appropriate by the current political or cultural era to justify our motives and actions.

There is strength in the Lord's statutes, for we know he is the same yesterday, today and forever. His Word is unchanging. If we are obedient to him, no matter how the outcome appears, we can be secure in His good purpose. Whether we are praised or ostracized, men's opinions won't affect our character. We can raise godly children and be sure that His statutes are buried in their hearts, beyond their own rebellion; that when we raise up a child in the Lord, when they are old, they will not depart from it. We can be sure that He will complete the good work He began in us -- to be holy, as He is holy -- and we will be like the Lord Jesus when we see Him, face to face.