"So surely as the stars are fashioned by His hands, and their orbits fixed by Him, so surely are our trials allotted to us: He has ordained their season and their place, their intensity and the effect they shall have upon us."
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
"'That fearful sound of "fire" and "fire,"/Let no man know is my Desire.'" Her richly spoken words are numbing reality. How well I remember first hearing those poetic phrases penned by Anne Bradstreet, initially learning them in a college classroom. I sat amazed as a non-traditional student who was in ignorance at the depth, honesty, intensity, and persuasion of a Puritan poet, whose out of abundance language brought life to page and truth to the journey of Christian living.
America's first woman poet poured many lyrical prayers and meditations of surrender and sacrifice. In 1666, she lost all her material possessions to a devastating fire. In 2000, one year after graduating from college, I had the privilege of reading and teaching her poetic verses of those losses to tenth graders. I felt passionate about Anne's experience. I wanted my students to share my passion and relate to her pain, to travel three centuries back with me to Anne's new world and connect with the soul-searching saga of one woman and her God. To hear this woman's heartbeat and understand her godly affection and her influence in 17th century Amercia and our 21st century American life.
In hearing her voice and heart, Anne Bradstreet became my heroine because of her faith in God and scriptural priorities. Anne's courageous conclusion of "Upon the Burning of Our House" leaves me speechless each time I read it. Breathless praise stills my soul when I walk with her on her voyage of private pain and sentiment to her letting-go of futility and grasping of holy, raw truth. Anne's godly take on life and loss bears hard in my soul, and it witnesses the fact of God's grace. It is a grace for all us; yes, sweet friends, it is just as real now, in 2009, as it was in 1666.
God is immutable. He doesn't change. His promises, his passions, his pleas for us are the same yesterday, today, and forever. Thus, Anne's words remain. Their urgency and appeal still move us. They are timeless. They speak truth. They know love. They give hope. "The world no longer let me Love, My hope and Treasure lyes Above."
I have read those last lines so many times, yet I never imagined they would have their own particular part in my life. Last Sunday afternoon, November 8, I kept Olivia and Ella, two of my grandchildren. Both my son, Steven, and his wife had to work, and I savored the opportunity to have a little grandma time with the two little sweethearts, whom we call Baby Doll and Ella-Bella. Their mom arrived about 5:00 pm to take them home. Raychelle, my daughter-in-law, and I and the babies were in my den. Mommy and I were getting babies ready to go when suddenly we heard a terribly loud sound, like a gun or explosion.
We immediately and quickly moved toward the back door, opened it, and inhaled a noxious fume that had already saturated our screened porch and carport, where Raychelle had parked her car. Her engine had exploded, and flames were already licking their way toward our roof. We dared not approach our porch, which was engulfed with dense smoke. Rather, we grabbed the babies and the phone and quickly ran toward the opposite end of the house and out our front door.
Countless calls, copious words of comfort, two crying babies, and five fire trucks later, the drama ended. And its ending began a new adventure of awestruck, broken gratefulness to God for sparing the lives of Raychelle, Olivia, and Ella. The imaginations and discussions with family and friends have centered around God's mercy and grace. Two minutes later, Raychelle, Olivia, and Ella would have been in the car on their way home. My spirit is shaken with thoughts of those possibilities, but my spirit soars with gratitude for God's lovingkindness that spared our grief, and please believe me, words are really, really inadequate, but their inadequacy has not stopped my effortless giving of thanks.
Just as the explosive BOOM travelled beyond our home to surrounding neighbors, bringing sudden jolt and concern to all of us, I have been symbolically exploded from normal, day-to-day living into a sudden, compulsory journey of soul-moving praise and soul-searching surrender!We have had some losses. I count them now as nothing. They are replacable. Just things made out of elements of this unholy earth that God will one day fold like a garment.
What is a carport, a porch, stuff in an attic, insulation, smoke-damaged sofas and chairs and curtains and linens, and water-damaged wood? What are sooty-smelling clothes, quilts, books, lampshades, and carpet? Really, what are they?
What is it to be a little discomforted and inconvenienced? What is to stand with your family and feel the shock of now and the wonder of tomorrow? What is it to seek temporary stay? What is a real home?
And what does it mean to be real and give everything we own to Jesus? To put into perspective worldy elements that are at one momen material gifts from God and the next moment worthless gifts to Him? What is annoying about picking up a lace garment so delicately formed, and tediously woven, one of many that was freshly laundered with particular care, but now reeks with toxic fumes and an oily pine scent meant to mask nasty smoke?
By God's grace alone, his unmerited favor, his worthy, divine intervention for our unworthy, weak, fleshy abilities, everything, all of it, means rejoicing for what is new. The passing, departing, of one frame of reference to a new point of vision. A welcomed opportunity for a more certain path of this Christian life that can be obscurely bright - i.e., dim of understanding, yet oh so light with promise. A possibility of looking behind at less and looking forward to grasp more. A newer appreciation of God's mercy and grace, which I must have in volumes every moment of every day of my pilgrim life.
From the perspective of limited loss (things could be much, much, worse), it feels pretty good to be inadequate, and though I'm living in the neighborhood of faith versus reason, my spirit is striving to soar with the uncomplicated truth that not understanding my entire life is absolutely OK. What freedom there is in that one Biblical truth!Do I need prayer? Sure, I do. Always! But, please rejoice with me, too, for out of darkness comes light! What Satan means for our discouragement and demise, God means for our good in Christ. Hallelujah! Friends, that is shouting ground!
Sunday night after Steven, Raychelle, and babies were safe at home and Jeff and I were safe in a hotel, I went to the bathroom to get ready for bed. For a few moments, the significance of everything rushed in like a flood. The tears flowed as I thought of God's salvation and our unworthiness of his gift. To be honest, my immediate reaction to the trauma had been quiet. I was speechless and just did not want to talk. But the awareness of God's hand could not quench my praise and the knowledge of our near true losses were overwhelming to realize.
Thank God for his deliverance and salvation! Thank God for his divine intervention! Thank God for his provision and power! And thank God for you, and I pray that as you ponder these words, he will move in and through your life with his mighty anointing and the reality of his love and lordship! So many of you have been through and are going through hardships. As I write, I am moved by your courage and victory as you face illness, family difficulites, lost loved ones, financial discouragements, depression, fear, death, and on and on.
Please hear my heart. God loves you. And, he is at work to prove what is good and holy and acceptable in your relationship with him. Jesus reigns!!! Not just in heaven. No, Christ reigns in your heart and life! Within you is his kingdom!And he hears your heart today. He Who formed your heart knows the depths of it. He Who formed your life knows the purpose of it. The Lord, our omniscient Creator, knows your way. And if that way is too narrow, or steep, or rocky, or unstable, or dark, or whatever, our God will deliver you and set your free! Beloved, may God bless you and reveal to you now and forever his everlasting love for you.
"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23, NIV).
Below are images of God's divine intervention from last Sunday.
