To the Rescue

A large part of Camp Phillip for me has always been the songs.  The music at Camp has always been a way for me to pray, reflect, commune with God.  

I wrote this song at the end of a morning of Scripture reading and prayer.  It was such a blessing to be out in God's creation with a Bible, and a journal and a guitar (and a thermos of coffee).

It's interesting that the song that was written on a glorious day like that is about the hope we have in Christ on days that aren't nearly as glorious.  But I guess having a day when God's truth and love is so clear to me reminded me of the days that I try to handle the old man in me, the devil, and the sinful world all on my own.  It is great to know the reality that I am never really on my own.

God has done all the work to rescue me from sin, death and eternal separation from him.  It is frustrating to me to know that he has done that, but that I am still in the middle of this battle zone.  My old self still tries to convince me that a sinful path would be easier or more fun.  Romans 7 and 8 remind me that this is not abnormal for a Christian.  "Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies." -Romans 8:23

I am still seeing both patterns at work in myself.  I see myself walking by the Spirit's leading, and I see myself doing things that I clearly "should know better" than to continue doing. When I am troubled by this, it is better to look toward God for a solution.  Though David could have talked a big game because of his mighty deeds, he was humble before God's mighty power when he wrote psalms like this one:

He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
   he drew me out of deep waters.
He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
   from my foes, who were too strong for me.
They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
   but the LORD was my support.
He brought me out into a spacious place;
   he rescued me because he delighted in me.

-Psalm 18:16-19

My salvation and yours is complete.  Our sinful nature has been defeated.  The world has already lost the battle.  But is is a bit like watching a superhero movie.  Even though you know that the hero will win in the end, you wonder how it could be possible.  It certainly doesn't always feel like the hero will win.  All signs seemingly point to despair, but just as the villain is explaining that his plan for global domination is foolproof, the hero make the villain look like a fool for ever believing himself the victor.

It's a bit like Good Friday that way.  At the time, all hope seemed to be lost, but God was taking the necessary steps for our salvation.  

I pray that I can be like the overconfident character, who is undaunted by the looming darkness, and confidently says, "I am not afraid, not as long as we have (insert hero's name here) on our side!"

If God is for us, who can be against us?