The Blessing of Darkness – Submission, part 8 of 8

Peace is the result of bending and breaking under the “yoke that is easy” and the “burden that is light” and the “learning of Him, who is meek and lowly of heart” -Matthew 11:29.

We will find “rest for our souls.” 😁

I know that I still have many, many lessons to learn at the feet of my Master. The teaching becomes richer when I welcome the hard places. Please remind me when I forget that! (7/21/20 – This is so funny. I’ve been convicted by my own writing this morning and have needed to be reminded of these truths since writing this post!!)

An older song was brought to my mind on 5/24/20, through an acquaintance going through deep trials:

Song: Submission by Charles Austin Miles, 1868-1946 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWY3KzfRenA

Photo by Gantas Vaiu010diulu0117nas on Pexels.com

Submission and Yielding

The path that I have trod has brought me nearer God

Although it led thru sorrow’s gates

Though not the way I’d choose,

In my way I might lose

The joy that yet for me awaits.

CHORUS

Not what I wish to be, nor where I wish to go

For who am I that I should choose my way?

The Lord shall choose for me,

Tis better far I know

So, let Him bid me go, or stay.

The Cross that I must bear

If I a crown would wear

Is not the Cross that I should take

But since on me ’tis placed

I’ll take it unafraid

and bear it for the Master’s sake

CHORUS

Submission to the will

of Him who guides me still

Is surety of His love revealed

My soul shall rise above

this world in which I move

I conquer only when I yield.

What began last year as an interest in the Lord’s ways of upside-down perspective in Scripture has become an even more precious understanding as time marches on. My pastor’s preaching on Sunday, 6/14/20, https://lakewoodbaptist.church/sermon/marks-of-a-gospel-messenger/ entitled “Marks of a Gospel Messenger” was so confirmatory to my heart in this regard. I think you will see too how the paradoxes in Scripture line up with the theme, The Blessings of Darkness.

Our pastor used the passage of 2 Corinthians 6 to show what a true gospel messenger should look like: (italics mine – other words, Pastor Dave)

God is making the “packaging of this product (me) match its message (the gospel.) He is lovingly refining me in the fire, removing the dross: that which is not useful for His purposes and doesn’t bring Him glory!!

Grace is there for a purpose!

The apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 6:1 that we are to be “working together with him, …and… not to receive the grace of God in vain.”

2 Corinthian 6:3 We put no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; 7 by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left.

Pastor Dave: To stand out and to be understood and recognized as a Christian, there must be no obstacle in people’s way to see the Lord. No fault found, a purity (sincerity), no glaring inconsistencies to discredit our message.  Certainly, we will fail. We are only human. But as we traverse this life, we should have more of the marks, not less. I WANT that, don’t you? 

The three marks of this gospel messenger that our pastor preached on and that I ascribe to for my life are (I took the liberty of personalizing the pronouns!):

1.) She endures difficulty in both persecution and general hardship.

No matter the conditions. She keeps going – seeing the grace of God at work.

Pastor Dave recommended reading The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected by Nik Ripken. Maybe some day I will read it. As I said, I am taking in so much, so fast I can’t keep up. It’s been quite a journey lately! I even told a friend that the Lord worked me over so hard in my devotions and spirit that I didn’t want to take in anything else of the Word of God until I had really let His work sink into every fiber of my being. It’s so helpful to slow down and let the chiseling work of the Holy Spirit be done and not just move onto the next thing. Quotes from the book referenced above or Pastor Dave, I can’t remember: (Please forgive me, if you listen to the sermon above, I’m sure you will differentiate.)

Difficulties should NOT be the exception

but the rule.

Endurance adds credibility to our witness.

2.) She models authentic spirituality.

Pastor Dave: Our character qualities are mixed with the gospel. Our message is not less than conveying knowledge. We must have the facts of God’s message straight – sure, but we are not just “dumping data” on people. Our message is delivered in a package of true love and spiritual authenticity; We don’t give up on people when they’re ugly.  (God has not given up on me and I have been ugly MANY times!!) We have truthful speech with the power of God because of love and grace.

3.) She is assured of the gospel’s reality. 

Vs. 8-10 are full of paradoxes. This was what was exciting to me as the Scripture was read that Sunday, because that’s what I’ve been meditating on for more than a year and in particular these last few weeks.

8 through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

I met with another friend before I heard this message and described my experience of late as having “profound sorrow amidst intense joy.”  Kind of neat to hear my own voice echoed in Scripture! These paradoxes are upside-down “kingdom-ways” of operating and thinking and as my pastor put it – “a riddle.”

The Blessings of Darkness have been painful- but wonderful. (See the paradox?) Lots of tears as I’ve heard the Lord’s voice speaking to me, wooing me to His breast, to come close and stay close and ABIDE. It’s like I can’t take it in fast enough. The preaching was yet another succession on the same theme. It makes me think what will next week hold? (and I better get this post finished quickly, or it will be a longer series than it already is!! 🤗)

So encouraging to see the change over time in me away from an Eeyore perspective. Winnie the Pooh to Eeyore: “Lovely day, isn’t it?” Eeyore responds in true Eeyore fashion: “If it is a good morning, which I doubt.”

to:

I wonder what exciting truths the Lord will give me today that I can “ruminate” on!

For your humor from another motley set of doom-and-gloomers: My husband and I recently recalled, sang together and laughed over this blast-from-the past (minus the moonshine, of course😏 ): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv13g44ROaw

I am your fuzzybunny