Christian Counseling Service -- Devotions

Not a zero-sum game

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Isaiah 55:10
The Lord says, "From the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats."

Margaret had a vision. For many months after she often smiled in the middle of a conversation and said, "God is more than enough."

She knew in the depth of her being that there were no bounds to the bounty of God. His whisper to her and his presence stilled her needs. The deeper she went with this, the less she needed. She had more than enough.

This kind of experience is not a miracle meant for some few holy people. Margaret does not think of the place where she had the vision as a shrine. She would like to experience it again, but like C. S. Lewis she knows one of the most demanding (and irreverent) prayers of all is, "Again, Lord! Encore! Encore!" God is in charge, and we are not.

But still. This verse in Isaiah is surrounded by many biblical strokes of the pen of plenty. We have never lived and do not now live in an economy of scarcity. When we give, we are given much in return. Poured down, shaken together. We can count on it. "Test me in this," says God in Malachi.

Being attuned to God's endless generosity is nothing like feeling entitled to it. God is not indulgent, but neither is he rigid. His parenting balances law and mercy perfectly, so that we can become free from both fear and pride.

My parenting is not so perfect. Neither is that of anyone else. But because God's love is unending, we can be "good enough" as parents ... partners ... people. We don't need to earn anything, or prove ourselves, or guarantee outcomes. When we show up day after day, we see that it's God who does the giving, and we can watch and pray, watch and play. Day by day.

Your mercy endures forever, Lord. You lavish your unchanging love on me. Forgive me when I fail to hold out my hands to catch it, and when I turn away, thinking I have something else to do besides be your beloved.

Devotions Archive

Not a zero-sum game

Tuesday, February 24, 2015