"Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from [the Assyrian's] hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord, even thou only." Isaiah 37:20
People are deceived if they think that sins occur due to the sinner being particularly depraved beyond all reason. We are all equally fallen, capable of all the same things. Sin comes at us all with the simplest of attitudes: "It's all about me." Such an attitude is devilishly clever because it can slip into our minds at any moment: while we're doing something genuinely good, genuinely bad, or neutral and asinine. Whatever we have set our hands to do (even writing a blog!), we can turn into a moment of self-idolatry.
"O Lord...save us...[that all] may know that thou art the Lord." Not, "Save us so we can be saved," nor even, "Save us because it is the right thing to do," but, "Save us for Thy sake." You want the secret to a joyful life? Here it is: it is not about you; it is all about Him. Until we get that, we will continue to chase the winds, looking for joy and contentment for ourselves until we realize that such things are only found in Him, for He is all that everything is about; it all leads back to Him (save for the bent will of Sin, that cast itself into nothingness). Our life is a story, but it will be lost into oblivion if we do not surrender it to His Story.
"Thou art the Lord, even thou only," i.e., You alone are the focus, the "centre," the premium mobile. We are never whole until we surrender our little chaotic movement into the Great Dance of the Triune God.
Oh Love that moves the Heavens and earth,
Take my exasperated spirit into Your Dance,
And may I never go back
To the self I left behind...
-Jon Vowell
People are deceived if they think that sins occur due to the sinner being particularly depraved beyond all reason. We are all equally fallen, capable of all the same things. Sin comes at us all with the simplest of attitudes: "It's all about me." Such an attitude is devilishly clever because it can slip into our minds at any moment: while we're doing something genuinely good, genuinely bad, or neutral and asinine. Whatever we have set our hands to do (even writing a blog!), we can turn into a moment of self-idolatry.
"O Lord...save us...[that all] may know that thou art the Lord." Not, "Save us so we can be saved," nor even, "Save us because it is the right thing to do," but, "Save us for Thy sake." You want the secret to a joyful life? Here it is: it is not about you; it is all about Him. Until we get that, we will continue to chase the winds, looking for joy and contentment for ourselves until we realize that such things are only found in Him, for He is all that everything is about; it all leads back to Him (save for the bent will of Sin, that cast itself into nothingness). Our life is a story, but it will be lost into oblivion if we do not surrender it to His Story.
"Thou art the Lord, even thou only," i.e., You alone are the focus, the "centre," the premium mobile. We are never whole until we surrender our little chaotic movement into the Great Dance of the Triune God.
Oh Love that moves the Heavens and earth,
Take my exasperated spirit into Your Dance,
And may I never go back
To the self I left behind...
-Jon Vowell
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