On Having Spider-In-Your-Bed Urgency
I woke up one morning this week and noticed a spider resting on the crown molding directly above my face. I ignored the spider and started reading Psalm 71 (per an earlier recommendation from my Aunt Laurie in Flagstaff, AZ). As I was reading, I looked up every so often and gazed at the spider, motionless directly above me. As I came to the end of the chapter, I glanced up again and the spider was gone. My eyes slowly traversed the ceiling and then the wall behind my head. Nothing was there. Instantly — and instinctively — I sat up and started rubbing my face and head, feeling for the eight-legged terror (it was at least a half-inch across <g>). As I picked up my pillows to continue my search, I saw the spider all the way across the ceiling. She (he?) was slowly and casually traipsing along. Then something hit me.
I re-read the chapter I had been reading. I noticed that the author was writing this with a sense of urgency not unlike the urgency that had just caused me to frantically jump up out of my comfortable position and search for the spider. You should know that I am a fan of spiders. I actually enjoy them. They ingest other bugs and so I rarely kill one in my home. But when there was the potential for a spider to be crawling on my ear, I was overcome with urgency and adrenaline and haste.
Psalm 71 tells a deep story; do yourself a favor and read it in its entirety. Here are some excerpts:
O God, be not far from me; O my God, make haste to help me…
But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more.
My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day,
For their number is past my knowledge.
With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come;
I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone…
So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me,
Until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.
Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens.
You who have done great things, O God, who is like you?
You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again;
From the depths of the earth you will bring me up again.
You will increase my greatness and comfort me again.
The author is plagued by trials and yet clearly sees God as the solution. The author has hope; urgency abounds. Not only does the author ask God to make haste, but it seems clear that the author himself is consumed by haste. Some of us in this world are granted a moment (or many moments) when we are slapped in the face with a sense of urgency. For the psalmist, it was being chased by enemies and fearing for his life. For me, it is having cancer and fearing for my life.
It is in these moments, though, when we have a choice. We can revel in the fear and sink into despair, or we can focus on God and revel in hope. We can make this time inward-focused or we can make it about proclaiming the righteousness of God.
Two things come to mind. First, I want to enjoy this Psalm 71 moment. I want to have comfort and to have my greatness increased. I want to be brought up from the depths. I want to proclaim God’s might to another generation and His power to all who come after me. With full understanding that my time may be quite short, I want to attack that in the most urgent of ways. Everyone encourages me to rest now. I will rest in heaven. Until then, I do not want to miss a single teaching opportunity to point out the righteousness of God.
Second, many of you may never have a moment like this where your life circumstances force you to reflect on this urgency. You may never get cancer, you may never be chased by enemies, you may never fear for your life. Perhaps this is the very moment when you should, though. Maybe you should read Psalm 71 and cultivate a sense of urgency anyway.
I like it, Zac! We really do need a sense of urgency about what God wants for us, has for us and commands us! By the way, I hope you are printing out all you “cancer memoirs” because they should be published someday…your children will know you better by reading them! Still praying in Quito. Blessings.
P.S. Just for a laugh……we had a team meeting today about prison. We’re starting cell groups.
You won’t remember me. You were just a child at Thomas Road Baptist Church. We supported your parents for many years. Reading your blogs has given me such great encouragement. Our family is going through a difficult time, losing our house and possibly fillng for bankruptcy in this time of recession. Our petty problems seems so insignificant with what you are dealing with. You have given me great hope and strength. God bless your incredible faith! I have walked away from my relationship w/Christ in this time of turmoil. You are encouraging me to seek His support. Thank you for your honesty and openness.
Outstanding. The Lord may be giving you a new ministry through all of this. Your insights through your comments would make a good devotional type book.