Psalm 111:5-9
The LORD God is famous for his wonderful deeds, and he is kind and merciful. He gives food to his worshipers and always keeps his agreement with them. He has shown his mighty power to his people and has given them the lands of other nations. God is always honest and fair, and his laws can be trusted. They are true and right and will stand forever.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
We recently decided our two twelve-year-old cats, Mabel and Lucy, could use a little boost to their digestive systems, so we started giving them a small saucer of skim milk each night, and just a couple of teaspoons of moist cat food in the morning to supplement the dry chow they have eaten all their lives. Lucy turned up her nose at the milk, but Mabel laps it up each night. However, in the mornings, Lucy has become obsessed with her canned food. She starts a “dance” about an hour before we arise, as if to say, “Hey, you! Remember my breakfast!” Then she stands under my feet while I prepare the bowls… sometimes quite literally causing me to stumble to the mat where they are fed.
If I go into the kitchen during the day, Lucy comes right away and begs for more food. We have stuck to our guns and only fed them this moist treat in the mornings… but that doesn’t stop Lucy from begging. She stands up on the back of my legs and does a dance. She cries and whines and glares at me. She hopes I will be merciful and relent. But I’m sticking to the rules and doing what I know is right and fair – and in her best interest!
So often, we are the “Mabel and Lucy”. We stand at God’s feet and beg and plead… just get us out of one more mess, LORD. Just look the other way this once and pretend we didn’t commit this sin. Let us have our way and make it right for us. We want the mercy and kindness of God… but we also want Him to bend the rules in our favor.
Our cats cannot truly comprehend that we have their best interests at heart. But we humans know better about God. We know that He is right and fair… kind and merciful… and still we beg, plead and try to “fudge” – or outright cheat – and hope God will rule as we wish.
We need to start recognizing God’s sovereignty. We must fully acknowledge that He knows best… that His laws are perfect for us… fully trustworthy… and right on target. We must operate in the assurance that God will show us kindness and mercy… but He will also do what is fair and right – and at times we may not totally like His response.
The mark of spiritual maturity is developing a trust in God for His answers and plans… and accepting them, whether we like them or not. Are you trusting God completely and operating under His laws? Or are you dancing at His feet, whining and complaining… hoping He will bend to your will instead? How mature are you in your faith these days? God will never stumble in His steadfast devotion to you… can you say the same in return?
©2011 Debbie Robus
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