Expect Attack Where We Praise
That a 44-year-old unemployed for the last eight months can resolve and expect his resolutions to have any sticking power is a gift of grace in itself. Two of my recent resolutions stood steadfast in the bracing breezes of a cold Sunday morning. (1) Don't complain. Philippians 2:14 says it is possible, indeed commanded, for me to do all things without murmuring and complaining. (2) Combat complaining with more than stoic neutrality. In this effort, a friend and I resolved to accompany the prayer requests of our Sunday school class with specific praises so small and constant they are often overlooked. Instead of complaining about the cold, I decided to praise God for the warm blood in my veins. With all Scripture cautions about human vulnerability, God designed us as a fairly hardy breed able to function unaffected, except for complaining, under a variety of conditions.
As if to immediately endorse my resolute observation, thousands of dollars worth of equipment expertly designed to modify our van so it will transport my wheelchair proved more sensitive to the cold than I did. The threat that human capacities will be replaced by the technologies we create seemed exaggerated as my mechanics were unable to put the ramp on the ground without multiple tries. Humans are fearfully and wonderfully made, declares Psalm 139:14, and juxtaposition against one of man's fanciest inorganic efforts seemed to apply the point.
Less than 48 hours later, I ventured out into cold less biting and less likely to tempt complaint. I was outside only long enough to pick up a package and drag it inside. That effort was successful, but to say that my circulating blood could not warm me would be a dramatic understatement. Back inside, my legs visibly shook, spasmed, and drew up toward my chest. My fingers were blue, my breath constricted. I was alone. I couldn't even gain enough freedom of movement to dress warmer. Just as I thought my body had acclimated itself by God's design, another wave of gripping, intense cold took hold of me.
I'm still here, obviously. Assisted by warm soup and the grace of God, I'm able to make observations on the odd episode without my teeth chattering. If there is a takeaway, I might suggest that the very areas in which we resolve to prove the goodness of God are set off as battlegrounds. Testify by the way we talk about them, and expect areas the enemy to prioritize attacking them. If he can render us ineffective by conditioning us to incipient complaining, so much the better for his outnumbered forces in his constant restriction by the sovereignty of God. The injunction from 1 Corinthians 10:12 to beware when we stand, lest we fall, is not a warning not to stand. It isn't a consolation prize for a weak to nonexistent desire for growth in our lives. That verse, along with the whole counsel of the Bible, lays down the foundation that in whatever specifics we become more aware of God's glory, and especially where we resolve to speak of that glory instead of complaining, if these are areas under attack, the very attacks deepen dependence upon Him.
As if to immediately endorse my resolute observation, thousands of dollars worth of equipment expertly designed to modify our van so it will transport my wheelchair proved more sensitive to the cold than I did. The threat that human capacities will be replaced by the technologies we create seemed exaggerated as my mechanics were unable to put the ramp on the ground without multiple tries. Humans are fearfully and wonderfully made, declares Psalm 139:14, and juxtaposition against one of man's fanciest inorganic efforts seemed to apply the point.
Less than 48 hours later, I ventured out into cold less biting and less likely to tempt complaint. I was outside only long enough to pick up a package and drag it inside. That effort was successful, but to say that my circulating blood could not warm me would be a dramatic understatement. Back inside, my legs visibly shook, spasmed, and drew up toward my chest. My fingers were blue, my breath constricted. I was alone. I couldn't even gain enough freedom of movement to dress warmer. Just as I thought my body had acclimated itself by God's design, another wave of gripping, intense cold took hold of me.
I'm still here, obviously. Assisted by warm soup and the grace of God, I'm able to make observations on the odd episode without my teeth chattering. If there is a takeaway, I might suggest that the very areas in which we resolve to prove the goodness of God are set off as battlegrounds. Testify by the way we talk about them, and expect areas the enemy to prioritize attacking them. If he can render us ineffective by conditioning us to incipient complaining, so much the better for his outnumbered forces in his constant restriction by the sovereignty of God. The injunction from 1 Corinthians 10:12 to beware when we stand, lest we fall, is not a warning not to stand. It isn't a consolation prize for a weak to nonexistent desire for growth in our lives. That verse, along with the whole counsel of the Bible, lays down the foundation that in whatever specifics we become more aware of God's glory, and especially where we resolve to speak of that glory instead of complaining, if these are areas under attack, the very attacks deepen dependence upon Him.
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