Martha Rudolph
THE IN-BETWEEN
Don’t laugh. Odd vision confession time. During worship, I often envision God, in that moment, responding to our praise.
Sometimes he is smiling, nodding and tapping his hand. Other times, he is swirling his finger and spinning in a circle like an elderly gentleman on a swing dance floor. Humorous, funny, laughable, but why not true? Okay. That may be a bit of a stretch, but I know that God enjoys our praise. Psalms 147:1 tells us that it is good to sing praises to our God. Also, Luke 19:40 states that if the crowd kept silent, even the stones would cry out. Wow! God is deserving of and desires our praise to the point that if we fail to praise him, creation will fill the void. Praise is powerful and positions us directly in God's presence by preparing our hearts and minds for fellowship with him. To see him. To hear him. On one particular Sunday while our praise team was leading worship, instead of a joyful dance, I saw a different picture. One that brought me to tears. In the middle of a sermon series pointing out that there is often pain endured during our spiritual growing process, I saw my Abba Father. The song was What a Beautiful Name by Hillsong Worship. Everytime I hear this song something different ministers to me. On that Sunday it wasn’t just one of the lyrics as it normally is, it was the impact of a song praising the beauty, wonder and power of God’s love as it so meaningfully conveys God’s plan for our salvation. In that moment, I saw God. He was reaching out as a father would with arms stretched to the limit, as if prepared to catch a small child standing on some stairs, poised to jump into his father’s arms. Have you witnessed it? The child, crouched down, excited and unsure. He wants to take the jump, to leave what is safe and land where he is safest, but the space between is frightening. Will he make it? What if he misjudged the distance? There is always that small fear that his father might not catch him and he will fall. The security of his daddy’s arms, outstretched, reaching, longing to embrace his child is just a jump away. His daddy is encouraging, patiently building up the boy's confidence to take the leap. I often feel like that child. Just a leap away from God’s provision, protection, and promises fulfilled. If I jump, then what? If I take that step of obedience, am I sure God will catch me? What if I misjudged the distance and run out of strength, money, time, resources? Where I am is pretty safe, maybe I’ll just sit down. Am I really supposed to jump? Sometimes, where we find ourselves is secure and it makes jumping even harder. But other times, even where we sit is uncertain. What if the difficulties in our life are blessings in disguise? What if, at times, we experience challenges to give us added incentive to jump? Imagine a nothing left to lose scenario, like in a video game where the surface you are standing on is disappearing and ready or not, you have to leap. We all have or will experience challenges and journeys that require faith in the face of fear. Hope that encourages, inspires, and lends us strength to endurer those next steps we need to take while following God’s will. The little boy finally jumps. He conquerors the uncertainty and butterflies in his stomach and leaps! Then comes the split second in the air. That moment of doubt. Did he jump high enough and far enough for his daddy to catch him? Is his daddy strong enough? Resourced enough to not be knocked over upon reception? The time in the air is scary. Once he jumps toward his daddy, his fate is out of his hands and solely reliant on his father. That's how it is with us too. We decide, like the boy, to jump. And now, we're in the air. And it's scary. Doubts arise. Why did I jump? Why did the boy jump? He trusted his daddy. The boy knew that he wouldn't be dropped because his daddy had never dropped him before. He knew his father loved him too much to miss the catch. Without understanding it, the boy relied on his father's character. When we need the courage to jump, or find ourselves stuck in the air, we need to remember the character of our Father. He is faithful, trustworthy and true. He is strong enough, resourced enough, and loves enough that his arms will not fail us. Praise positions us, hope inspires us and faith in God's character gives us the courage to finish the flight. The little boy is safely snuggled to his father's chest because he was obedient to jump. He didn't sit down on the step or flail in fear in the air. He trusted. He jumped. His daddy's arms upheld their promise. So will my Father's. So will your's. “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his Covenant of Love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.” Deuteronomy 7:9 “The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. They are steadfast forever and ever, done in faithfulness and uprightness.” Psalm 111: 7-8
2 Comments
Linda Morris
12/20/2017 01:59:36 pm
Martha, this was wonderful! Joe and I read it together and were so blessed! Praise Him for your obedience and insights.
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AuthorHi! I'm a mom to four, wife, and Christ follower. Fueled by coffee and prayer, I write about family, lessons I have learned encountering what it means to live a joy-filled life, especially when stuck in between promise and resolution. Archives
June 2019
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