"By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8).
When Abraham was seventy–five years of age, God called him from his home in Ur of the Chaldees to move to Haran, and then to Shechem, to Bethel, to Egypt, to the Negev, to Hebron… Rootless, homeless, “going…and not knowing.” That was the story of Abraham’s life.
Age brings change, uncertainty, adjustment, transition from a familiar past to an uncertain future. It is movement from a family home, to a small apartment, to a retirement community, to a nursing home—the “last resort,” as one wag put it.
So we, like Abraham, pass through paths unknown, making our way from one place to another, always traveling: “going…and not knowing.”
But we could not be more safe for we dwell in the shelter of the Most High; we rest in the shadow of His wings. The "God of old" is our dwelling place and underneath are His everlasting arms (Deuteronomy 37:27).
Others may choose another habitation, but God is my dwelling place til traveling days are o'er and I reach my heart's true home. My days may be uncertain but my destination is secure: the place our Father prepared for His children long ago (John 14:1-4).
David Roper7.10.22
Please note: This will be my last post for awhile. I’m taking a break and “recalibrating” as my Google map app would say.
6 comments:
I will miss your posts but pray you have a time of rest and "recalibration." I am thankful to God for the insight He has given you to share with others.
So glad I came across your blog today. Thank you for sharing! Blessings to you in your season of rest.
David, I read your book Slowly Growing Wise recently, it was one of the best spiritual books I can recall reading in recent years. Thanks for your writing ministry.
May God bless you. Thanks for your writings and wise words.
Surely, we could not be more safe for we dwell in the shelter of the Most High; we rest in the shadow of His wings.
David, as a pastor some 20+ years your younger, I cannot tell you enough how much your books and writings have meant to me. I live in a rural area of Canada and your writing approach has been quite influential as your love of the land and how you weave stories from walks and hikes inspires an open eye for sermon material. When I pray for you, I think of you as another friend of God…like Abraham. Thank you for writing so openly about the coming changes that age provides and the grace needed to navigate all that lies ahead. Some of us age bodily quicker than chronologically so it is easy to apply the many truths that you share in, “Teach Us to Number our Days.”. (and sometimes our “daze”) Praying for you, thanks again brother!
Quiet Moment
What is this quiet moment?
It can’t be the absence of sound...for the clock talks, the dog barks and pain yells.
What is this quiet moment?
Could it be the hidden rest found on the bottom of the boat though the storms crash? A stillness of the soul at rest while the world rattles on? Yes, a quiet moment of the inner me content with what will never be...like, I will never stay trapped in this body. I will never be at home down here. I will never be judged except through the redemptive work of Christ. And I will never, never be alone.
What is this quiet moment? It is a fellowship of Spirit and spirit, with One whom my eye has never seen. It is an awareness of being held by the Tangible Invisible, God...firmly led and sometimes carried. My heart is indelibly impressed by the gift of Holy Inclusion. I AM my Beloved’s and He is mine, in this quiet moment.
Inspired by Psalm 131 after diagnosed with PsA
in Christ,
Norm Neufeld
Cooks Creek Manitoba, Canada
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