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- Written by: Don Goulding
But as for me, God’s presence is all I need. (Psalms 73:28)
Mid stride vigor sparked my old dog. She was chasing birds like a puppy with a purpose. Instincts cheered her on—you can do it, run harder, that one is yours. The plovers merely peeped, scissored their legs away, and—when the gap became too narrow—flew back to where the chase began.
The golden retriever spun around and redirected to other prey. Back and forth she galloped, from one bird to the next, tail riding high, a dog in her element. She was out birding with her master.
The Holy Spirit opened a wonderful truth in this scene. Those birds are like my goals. I run for all I’m worth toward a target, and as the gap closes, it flies to a new location. I regroup and head for another mark, only to see it flutter away as well. Ambitions rarely bring satisfaction. Objectives expand, change, or evaporate. I never catch the birds of there-don’t-you-feel-wonderful-because-you-made-it. But my instincts won’t let me sit and look on incomplete possibilities, so I am driven to keep up the chase.
Jesus says, “It’s okay to want the finished product, I made you that way for paradise. But don’t be troubled that, in this life, you run but never seize. The point is not arriving, it’s running, next to me.”
It’s time I learned from my dog. She’s happy running, even if she never gets near a bird. I have to let go of my pride that murmurs “I was made to be the solution to the world.” I’m not. Jesus is the solution. My place is as the object of his love.
“Have fun,” Jesus says. “Go romp, laugh, and grab after goals. But remember, you don’t have to win, you only have to be mine.”
Prayer: Sovereign Lord, my ambition is to be near you.
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- Written by: Don Goulding
Then I heard every creature - in heaven, on earth, under the earth, in the sea, and all that is in them - singing:
“To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise, honor, glory, and ruling power forever and ever!”
And the four living creatures were saying “Amen,” and the elders threw themselves to the ground and worshiped. (Revelation 5:13, 14)
In the midst of worship, I sometimes wonder to which part of the Trinity I should pray. Will I offend God by exclusive devotion to his Son? How does it make Father and Son feel when I only yearn for the Spirit’s presence?
If I peek into the Holy of Holies (Ezk. 3:12; Heb. 1:3; Rev. 22:1), my concern is exposed as needless human anxiety. All three share the same throne, side by side. The three in one—God the Father, Jesus the Son, Holy Spirit—perfect harmony, intertwined unity, eternal accord. Any praise to one is absorbed with joy by all three. By their unity, I am freed to worship as I will.
I can best picture Jesus. So without holding back, I hurl my being before his feet. Jesus, the object of my yearning, and of everything I hope to encounter. I see him standing amidst his many lovers, billowing robe crossed by a sash of gold—a perfect Son of Man with flaming-white hair lofting around a face of rainbow luminescence (Rev. 1:12-16; Ezk. 1:26-28). It’s a mental image worth holding onto until it melts into reality.
On the day of my completion, I’ll be a butterfly freed of its wormy cocoon. I’ll soar up to the dais, and drink in the supernova radiance of the triune God. Comprehension of the unity between the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit will, at last, penetrate me as brilliant points of light.
Prayer: God, I throw myself on the ground to worship you, through Jesus.
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- Written by: Don Goulding
But he lifted up our illnesses,
he carried our pain… (Isaiah 53:4)
I know what to do with that grief. Come with me.
Set your pain in this basket and hold it in front of you. We’re walking up the steps to Jesus’s throne. He looks at what you brought him and a tear plots its course down his cheek. With his hand next to yours on the basket, you share mute sorrow over what lies inside.
“I cannot take this basket away. Not yet. I can carry it with you.” He stares into the distance. “I can foresee the outcome. This tragedy won’t touch you. And I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
The next best thing to having no troubles is assurance that they cannot harm us. We have to endure, for now. We may lose worldly wealth, health, and prestige, but none of these is the real person anyway. The true you, your spirit, flourishes. The waters do not sweep over the real you, the flames do not set your inner heart ablaze. You, are protected.
Who is it that makes these bold promises? It is Jesus, by and for whom all things were created. It is Jesus, the One given all authority in heaven and earth. It is Jesus, who, since the day you gave your life to him, has not stopped watching over you.
“My hand is on our basket. Yes, it’s our basket. Take heart, I am with you.”
Prayer: Lord Jesus, whisper confidence into desperate ears.