Ah to be back with a normal keyboard again! And today is a good day for it. The entry in MUFHH is a timely one…again. Today Chambers uses a passage which is familiar in the history of the kings of Israel. It seems the kings before Josiah had one repeating feature. They put the country on the path toward God, but did not take down “high places” (cultural centers of worship outside of Jerusalem).
There is discussion on why that would have been or would not have been a good leadership move. Part of the discussion is over whether pagan worship took place at these “high places”, or syncretic (mixed Yahweh and pagan), or unsanctioned Yahweh worship. There seems archeological evidence for either syncretic or totally pagan, but the long time periods may blur the issue. In either case, the Scripture, and therefore God (the real inspiring author), did not approve.
The application for me is find my remaining “high places” and remove them, even if I feel as if my Master and I are doing well. As it turns out, I had a rough reminder yesterday of how close my addictive behavior is to the surface of my life. I quickly gave in to some temptations which I have avoided really well for several months. I did not cross over into some of my behaviors which characterized how I used to live, but it was embarrassingly and shamefully close.
I was unprepared because I figured yesterday would have been an easy day (ok, that was my first mistake). The move is finished, and the transaction is closed on the house, we are completely in the apartment, and all should be more tranquil. I even have the internet again. What could be wrong? As my very wise wife pointed out, I should have expected yesterday to be very hard. She pointed out that, after a period of high stress, it is common to have a wash of emotion which was kept under wraps by the tension of the stressful event. I was living off the adrenaline to a degree, and it was not as difficult to fend off temptations. After the event (move) was over, the emotional dam bursts and I was not ready to deal with it.
So, I have a “high place” still. I still need to practice the disciplines I have been, in fact, more so now. I still need to use my prayers to position myself before my Master. I still need to accept what He has revealed so far. I need to go no further than what He has revealed so far. And I need to remain available to Him at work, at home, and in between. So, I continue, with the little additional information I have, to wait, to worship, and to walk before Him. I continue to remind myself that He loves me, He has my back, and I am at His service. I continue to be accountable to the public who read this blog (hence the current confession).
These things may seem small, but have been, and will continue to be important to me. There is no more important thing I do, than to make myself more available to my Master. There is no better element to my life than my connection to the Creator of stars, the One gathering them into galaxies, and then spreading the galaxies out into the universe. The maker of the sun and moon calls my name and nothing can compare with that sound. The Master of matter summons me to walk in His presence, and I clear my calendar, empty my task list, put on my comfortable walking shoes, and head out the door. The One knowing every detail of every action before it occurs leads me into another day. Today will be a better day, but not because I possess the power to change it. Today will be a day I am more available to my Master, more sensitive to His will and power, and more at peace than I have been at any other time this week. And it’s Friday!
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