Written by
His Grace,
Kevin K.
O’Connor
Sep. 10,
2004
Main
thought: to explore the beauty of God’s Almighty, All sufficient, Delivering
Power for all of our lives
Through the muck and the mire
Psalm 40:1-3 1 I
waited patiently for the LORD ; he turned to me and
heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud
and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. 3
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and
fear and put their trust in the LORD .
for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked
are brought down by calamity. (Whole Chapter: In
context: )
Have
you heard the line “You can’t keep a good man down”? I just did a google search
for that phrase and found many links with that exact phrase. There’s a reason
for that saying, because it’s true. There’s something about goodness that all
of the garbage this world can throw at it just doesn’t affect. Kind of like air
trapped under a bunch of mud. No matter how heavy all of that water and muck is
on top of that air, it just can’t oppose the force of the air to get to the
surface. And most of us know the force of the deepest ocean and how it can
crush things, and yet place the tiniest bubble at the deepest ocean and watch
how freely it flows all the way to the surface. As easy as these physical
examples are to understand, there is also a human example. His name is Jesus
Christ who bore the weight of the entire world’s sin upon His own shoulders.
And even after we (yes we – all of us for it was all of our sin that nailed Him
to the cross not just the Roman’s and Jew’s physical hands) beat Him, mocked
Him, laughed at Him, tortured Him, and then finally killed Him, that He still
just rose to the surface and all the power of hell couldn’t oppose Him! God is
looking for those today who desire to be more than they were born with, those
who aspire for great things. But in all of our looking for how to be great we
need to take time to consider the smallest bubble in the deepest ocean and the
ocean’s inability to stop the air from rising. The air doesn’t get to the
surface through any effort of its own, but it does get to the surface only
because of what it is. In the same way we cannot obtain eternal life through
any effort of our own but through taking time to listen to the expression of God’s
heart, Christ His Son, we become transformed into His image. And just as the
whole world couldn’t keep Him down, neither will it us! And just as we look in
wonder at how a tiny bubble can oppose the force of the whole ocean to rise to the
surface, so will the world look in wonder at those who have grown into the
image of Christ despite the trials and tribulations this life had to offer us;
1 Peter 1:6-8 6In this you greatly
rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds
of trials. 7These have come so that your
faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by
fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when
Jesus Christ is revealed. 8Though you have not seen him, you love
him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled
with an inexpressible and glorious joy, God
help us to rise up out of our physical concerns and ourselves and enter into
His presence so that we may realize that this life is not it. Just like
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and Daniel of old who could see beyond
themselves, this life, and its comforts to see the heart of God. In His
Presence is fullness of Joy, Peace and Rest. He is the One Who
is our Life and our Deliverer and who will by His Grace, Power, and Authority
deliver us to Himself. Just as it is the air in the bubble that takes it to the
surface, so is it Christ in us the Hope of Glory who will see us through; Colossians 1:27 To them God has chosen to make known among
the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the
hope of glory. (Whole Chapter: Colossians 1 In
context: Colossians
1:26-28) It’s only the
emptying of ourselves that the beauty of God may then come in and fill us. And
it’s only in learning how to listen to Him that our hearts can hear. So, as we
begin to see life, others, and ourselves as they were meant to be seen, it will
not be due to any wisdom on our parts but because of wisdom revealed to us from
Him. The deepest truths are reserved for
those with the deepest desire for relationship with Him. The moment our focus
is on those revelations, or His Blessings rather than Him, is the moment those
depths of revelations cease. God and God alone is the One from whom all
blessings flow and to whom they will all return. May every heart hear His Word
that tells us in 1 John 4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because
the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. (Whole
Chapter: 1 John 4 In
context: 1 John 4:3-5)
Greater is He! Amen. And He will Bless
and protect all of those who take refuge within His Love and lift us up above
any and all trials we are to face here below. God bless every downcast heart to
hear His voice of Love for them. There is coming a day and coming soon that
every child of God will shine as the stars in the sky unto His Glory, Honor,
and Praise. And, although they’ve had to endure much sorrow and pain here
below, they will rise to the surface above this world with shouts of Joy and
enter into His Presence. So for now we may have to face the muck and mire of
this existence but take heart, our day is coming!
Heavenly
Father, thank You for Your Precious Son who bore the muck and mire of this
world and Who now sits at Your right Hand. Teach us
how to live in Him and allow Him to live in us so that we may rise above this
world as He has. In Jesus Glorious Eternal Name, Amen.
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