Getting Out of the Way for God

   One week from now is Chemo Round Five.  For those of you counting, that means I have four rounds down and two to go.  And after that?  Well, after that is a stem-cell transplant at some time to be determined.  So it is...those are the facts.  But it also means that for the time being, I am feeling fairly normal and upbeat.  I will think about the truck coming around the corner next week but I am not going to worry about it.  Let me enjoy today.
   Today began with meeting with The Boys at 6:00 am.  All five of us were there.  After sharing personal updates and news, our conversation centered on God's word and how we as Americans can twist it and make it say what we want it to say.  We forget context, we forget history, we forget the holiness of it all in an effort to squeeze out of it the message we want it to say at this moment.  Without going further and possibly jeopardizing the confidentiality we have agreed to for our times together, I once again was challenged and encouraged by these guys to keep myself from this trap and to interpret God's word in ways that he wants me to.
   Too often we American Christians look at whatever situation we are in and try to make God's word say something to our circumstance.  We do this all the time.  Scripture is misused to support or justify whatever situation we are facing.  "I can do everything through him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13) can become one of those verses.  We want to take this verse like we take the message out of a fortune cookie and attach to it whatever meaning is relevant to us at the moment.  Really? I can?  Me?  I can fly?  I can get an "A" without studying?  I can never be hungry again?  I can slay the giant?  I can beat cancer?  No, we miss out on the message.  The context of this verse is that Paul is discussing all of the hardships he is facing and how he has learned to be content in the hard times, how he has learned to wait on God through difficult experiences.  We emphasize the "I" and forget the "through him" part of this verse.  Paul is saying he has no strength on his own and must rely fully on the spirit of God living in him.  Only through Christ can we survive from day to day.
   We Americans are always emphasizing the "I" over anything else.  This marvelous new fervor to march and protest that is gaining media attention during the first few weeks of the Trump presidency is an indicator of this self-pride.  "I want" and "I believe" is getting so loud that the right of others to stand and disagree is overshadowed.  We as a nation are talking so much that it drowns out the ability to listen.  Without saying it, the faulty thinking that is fueling this fervor ("My voice is more important than your voice and therefore I can learn nothing from you and therefore you are a hater!") is coming through loud and clear.
   OK America, we need to learn this: "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10a).  Before I am accused of pulling a verse out of context, note the context.  This psalm is filled with noise, chaos, and devastation.  Mountains are quaking, the ocean is roaring, wars are going on, destruction is occurring, and in the midst of this chaos, we get this message of "be still."  But even then, why be still?  Well, it has nothing to do with us.  Instead, keep reading.  God says, "I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth" (Psalm 46:10b).
   Everything we do needs to be about God, not about ourselves.  I will never fly on my own, but God does bless me with opportunities to serve others in amazing ways.  I might face hunger but God will face it with me.  I will never have the ability to do anything on my own strength.  I will not beat cancer, but my God is more than able to if he so chooses.  So be still, America, and look for the one true God whose voice can also get lost in the chaos you are creating.  Sit down, shut up, be still, and notice.  God is still here.  Give him a chance to speak.
   "Lord, help me to be still in the middle of this cancer confusion.  In all of its noise and chaos, let me get out of the way enough to know that you will ultimately prevail in whatever way you choose.  Thank you for always being God, especially in the times when I am too noisy and distracted to realize it.  In whatever my circumstance, be exalted.  Amen."