Psalms 37:4
Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.
There was a book my father owned of old folktales that I use to love to read. One of those stories was Brer Rabbit. It was about the effort of a clever fox capturing Brer Rabbit, planning to eat him for dinner, but mistakenly releasing him into a briar patch. The punch line for the story rest on the fact that although hardly anyone can survive the thorns and thistles of a briar patch, it is a rabbit’s natural habitat. So although the fox thought he was killing Brer Rabbit, he actually was setting him free.
Believe it or not, I feel the same way about 2021. As terrible as the beginning of this year has been so far, regardless of the challenges ahead of us, the pandemic behind us, and the specter of doom hovering over us right now, I honestly feel like Brer Rabbit. I was born for this. Although most others fail and fold under the pressures of this unprecedented nightmare of an existence, I thrive in this environment. And if you know the Lord like I do, we thrive in this environment. Troubled times is our briar patch.
Now let me put my exuberance into proper context. I’m not at all saying I’m excited about the calamity, deaths, suffering or injustice that characterizes our current day. Don’t get me wrong. I feel the pain. I’m impacted by the sense of hopelessness and helplessness as much as anyone else. But after all is said and done, I have to testify. I’ve been born again. I’m not like other people. I’m a rabbit in a briar patch.
I know I’ve been using a bunch of first-person pronouns (I, me, mine) but in truth, my testimony is shared by all those that love the Lord. We have been specifically created for times just like these.
Psalms 37, speaks to us in a prophetic tone. It promises us the fulfillment of desires as we delight ourselves in the Lord. In a vacuum, one could presume that the verse assures them of certain rewards and benefits as a result of simply following the Lord. It sure seems to say that to me. Well, at one time it did. You see, if I look at it purely from a selfish standpoint, all I can see is me, and my own benefit. But if I look at it from a Christ standpoint, all I see is Jesus supplying me with what I need. So it is Christ supplying me with what my heart ought to desire, instead of him kowtowing to my whims and will. Same scripture, but much different interpretation.
Much of how we read and understand the Bible comes from the core values we regard in our hearts. If I see the role of God as one that serves me, then I interpret the word in a self aggrandizing manner. The book is all about me. But if I see serving God as the highest and grandest of all human activities, then I realize the book is all about Him. So I’m not always looking for a way out. I’m not always expecting blessings. I’m not constantly depressed and upset when things don’t go my way. I’m most delighted when I’m serving God; not when He’s serving me.
And that makes so much sense right now.
All the things the world thought I needed to serve God have been taken away. No church services. No gathering. No concerts. No choir rehearsals. No offering time. No men’s day. No women’s day. No ushers. No nothing. But guess what? I’m still delighted in the Lord!
Dear Children of God, the truth is I’m having church all by myself. Don’t get me wrong, I love fellowshipping with all of you. But praying, fasting, praising, worshipping and giving God my all is all I ever wanted to do. And I can do that right where I am. In matter of fact, there’s certain freedoms that I never had before. I can sing loud and off key and no one is offended. I can preach for hours on end, and no one walks out. I can worship without fear of judgement. And I can pray for you and love you, and there’s nothing you can do about it!
And while everyone else is feeling bad and feeling blue, I’m like a rabbit in a briar patch.
God bless
