All Others Paled & Lost Heart

One day Jesus told His disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up…Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from the unjust judge.  Even he rendered a just decision in the end.  So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will He keep putting them off?”  Luke 18:1, 6

Now, as you can see, the LORD has kept me alive and well as He promised for all of these forty-five years since Moses made this promise- even while Israel wandered in the desert.  Joshua 13:10

I am up at the cabin.  And the fire is crackling.  The bright gold sunlight is tumbling down over the peaks, drawing sharp contrasts among the crags.  The Ponderosas still reach upward, with only the slightest hint of burn scars.  The gobble gobble of wild turkeys barely interest the new husky/British Spaniel dog whom I have decided to call Sam Gamgee, even though she is a girl, in memory of Sam the other girl dog of my youth and because of the very faithful look in her eyes as she follows wherever you go.

Yesterday was pretty tough for Grandpa.  And for those who love him and are standing here at hand, watching him unravel. Although he could whip out his sentence with long fancy words that cautions, “Say what you mean and mean what you say and don’t use big words,” which only Dustin can duplicate, he could not form cohesive ideas on his own, even linking one or two words together coherently.  The words spat out like BB pellets, falling harmlessly to the floor.  They were long fancy dictionary words indicative of fine treasures stored on his brain shelves, but he was feeling around for the light switch, and couldn’t find it.

After dinner, Grandpa could not play double-solitaire at all, which I have played for hours at a time these months, getting authentically whipped most almost every time.  Last night, he stared helplessly at the eight of clubs and the Jack of diamonds and could make no sense of them, until they too fell harmlessly to the floor. He knelt down to pick them up, but then forgot what he was looking for, feeling around under the green and brown plaid couch.  We gave up pretending, and put the cards away in their little plastic case.

Yet, as we walked very slowly up the road behind Grandma and Sam whose tail was flopping happily, he reminded me, several times, that this cabin has been a real blessing.  And that God has been faithful to his family.  And every prayer starts out the same:  “Dear God, we are Yours.”

So tying these two ideas together, these Testaments of who God is, I am quite sure that in the midst of the Canaan battles, God’s promise made through Moses to Caleb seemed pretty tenuous.  This is what you meant by alive and well?  And I still have some giants to battle before I come into my inheritance? 

And Jesus answers, “Yes.”  This is what I meant. 

Now somehow the time thing is weird.  Jesus starts off with that we are not to weary of asking, not to give up, and finishes up with the idea, “Will He keep putting them off?  No!  He will grant justice quickly!”  Um, in my way of thinking, if the justice really happened “quickly” there would be no need to tell me “not to give up.”  But with perspective, which seems to be my theme this week, Caleb got it.  He declared God faithful to His promises.  And Grandpa gets it.  Even in the unravelling, a strong cord still anchors him to peace and even joy.  God is faithful to His promises.

Let me be like Caleb, the one “who wholeheartedly followed the LORD, my God,” even when all others paled and lost heart.

And the land had rest from war.