If My People

Today's journaling page is taken from 2 Chronicles 7:13,14.  I've been pondering this passage quite a bit in the past few months, because it seems to me that there is a lot to be healed in our land - from divisiveness,  to our leadership in the world, to economics and health in the wake of this pandemic.  For myself, I also see an allegorical application equating "land" with the physical plane - including my body which is in need of healing - so I have continued to think about these verses.  

As I've been praying for healing for all of these things, I've been meditating on what God is asking from us.  And I keep coming back to that word "humble".  It seems to me this is a huge piece of what is needed in our world today - the humility to simply say, "You may be right" rather than fighting for one opinion or the other in our divided land.  

Certainly, as I read Isaiah chapter 58 I feel compelled to stand up against injustice where I see it and work to "break every yoke", but it seems to me that the divisiveness in our country today extends far beyond such specific issues.  I see people from both sides of the aisle focusing on sowing division and discord rather than being peacemakers. And unfortunately, I've seen this tendency in myself at times.  I'm coming to see that anytime I am convinced that I am "right" and those who don't agree with me are "wrong" (or "misguided", or "stupid", or even "deliberately pushing falsehoods"), that I am in serious danger.  I'm quite possibly not living in from the humble spirit to which God calls me.  

Not long ago someone was telling me a story about something related to the pandemic.  The opinions shared seemed ludicrous to me - so far fetched as to be laughable.  But instead of reacting to it in a divisive way, I thought those words "they may be right", and let it go.  Later as I was praying about it, I asked God how it could possibly be that "they might be right"?  It didn't seem possible, though I had felt led to think those words at the time!  I was immediately shown the "facts" from a completely different perspective.  Suddenly I realized that likely the person was indeed right about some things - and wrong about others, while at the same time I had probably been right about some things - and wrong about others!  "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways' declares the Lord.  'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts'". (Isaiah 55:8,9)  And again in 1 Corinthians: "Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned." (1Cor 2:12-14)

What a different world we would be living in if everyone lived humbly before God, recognizing that we DON'T know as much as we often think we do!  What a different world if we make a choice to focus on those things that are spiritually discerned rather than thinking as the world thinks!  This is not possible unless we are willing to humbly set aside our own points of view and seek unity through the Spirit rather than holding on to divisiveness.

Father, please forgive me for those times when I've arrogantly thought I knew better than others - for those times when I haven't chosen to be a peacemaker!  Father, thank you for teaching me about humility and how I can be wrong even when I'm SURE I'm right!  Thank you for showing me that your thoughts are so much higher than my own, and that when seen from your perspective, many things that appear to be contradictory to my puny human brain - really are not!  Please help me to remember these lessons and learn to live them consistently in my daily life!  Thank you, Father!