The Bungee Cord 11-22-21

Hello,

So, over the course of the couple of weeks:

1. My hot tub stopped heating up and I had to replace the heating unit.

2. My car stopped starting, and because I ordered a new car in July (which is now delayed until February) I don’t want to dump a bunch of money into it before I trade it in.

3. My cell phone battery is dying.

4. My computer’s logic board got fried and needs to be replaced, which means that I might lose stuff that I hadn’t backed up.

5. After two dry summers, our well is drying up.

What next? By the mere fact that these sort of things have been falling apart indicates the level of comfort by which I live my life. So, I know that I have little to complain about, but nonetheless the knocking down of these dominoes in my life is frustrating and expensive.

But there are times, aren’t there, when things far more essential in life start crumbling around us: health, income, marriage, family, friendships. And when these sort of things start toppling around us, something greater than frustration and expense hits our hearts. Fear and despair can enshroud us. I know that when I see the walls start to give way around me, my reaction is to try and take over the job of the walls, and try to keep the ceiling from falling down and crushing me.

I have discovered that when I respond like that, it is a worthless response, because I am simply unable to hold the roof up forever. Sometimes the weight of the roof is so heavy that my strength gives out quickly. Other times the weight is not so massive, and I think I have the strength to manage it myself. Only to find out that just like I can’t do arm circles forever, neither can I endlessly hold up the roof. Sooner or later, when I try and keep the roof from falling it, it falls anyway.

But when the fall happens, I discover something else, too. I discover that I do not get crushed! I find the words of Psalm 121 to be true:

I lift up my eyes to the hills—

from where will my help come?

My help comes from the Lord,

who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved;

he who keeps you will not slumber.

He who keeps Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;

the Lord is your shade at your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day,

nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;

he will keep your life.

The Lord will keep

your going out and your coming in

from this time on and for evermore.

One of the most common things that Jesus said was, “Fear not.” He did not say that because there aren’t scary things lurking around us, but he said it because the one whose might towers over all those things is also lurking around us. And because he loves us, loves us enough to lay down his life for us, we need not waste our time and energy trying to keep the roof up. We need not fall into fear and despair when the walls start to crumble. We might get bruised. We might get knocked off of our feet, but God has shown us that he will let nothing….not even death….crush us.

As the Bible says, “For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.”

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

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