Musical Musing: At The Foot Of The Cross (Women of Faith: Irrepressible Hope)

This world is a heavy place, full of heartbreak and despair. If you let it, it will drag you down, break your spirit, and drown what remains. If you look at the ugliness that some people have towards one another, you wonder how anyone could ever say that man is basically good. You begin to understand why people question how God could be loving, good, and all powerful when you see the natural disasters around you… and not just the big ones, like the tsunami in Asia, or Hurricane Katrina, or the earthquake and aftershocks in Haiti, but the floods that strike homes all over the world, or the quiet march of lava that claims homes in places like Hawaii or on other Pacific rim nations or other volcanic areas. You wonder about the babies born too soon, who, oh, Lord, just one more month, one more week, one more day would have been enough to give them a chance to fight for their lives. You wonder about people who are unfortunate enough to be born in the wrong place and fall victim to diseases that no longer exist in the developed world, taking their lives or crippling them. This world would suck your hope away from you with every contaminated glass of water, with every infant born infected with AIDS, or infected by his mother’s breastmilk. This world seems built to steal, kill, and destroy.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Where fire leaves ashes behind, new life can be stirred, beauty picked up from the decay burned away. It’s the story of the phoenix, something we all long for, and cling to… and God promises it for us all. Out of death comes new life.

In Isaiah 61, the prophet speaks some powerful promises. “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for prisoners, to proclaim a year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, to provide for all who mourn in Zion- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; the will renew the ruined cities that have been ruined for generations.”

I feel like we are watching this scripture come to fruition in Haiti. It’s not instant… but life is never instant. Growth takes time. It takes 40 weeks for a child to mature in his mother’s body before he’s ready to breathe air and face the world outside, and another 36 months before he’s eating solid food, walking steadily, speaking in any sort of coherent sentence, and even then, he’s not prepared for life on his own. This was a nation that had been ruined for generations. It was long devastated before the earthquake struck. Growth and rebuilding is going to take a long time.

Yet we are seeing men and women flock into this tiny nation to preach good news to these poor. They are binding up their broken bodies and hearts. They are helping to rebuild and restore them. In place of the ashes of their destruction, we are seeing the beauty of selflessness as people give freely of themselves to bring life to this place. In this place of despair, we are seeing praise go up when simple needs are met.

It’s not perfect; every comparison breaks down somewhere. But these people are learning that there is life in this broken world. That despite the weight of this world, there is a yoke that is light, a burden that is easy, because the Anointed One came into this world, stepped out of Life into Death and into Life again, all for love of them, and they need only rest in His promise. That those who follow His call and go make all the difference, setting captives free, and bringing a light into this dark world.

Oh, Beloved, if you know my Jesus, we are the plantings, we are the hands and feet of Jesus that show His love to the least of these, just like we were told. Going isn’t a choice; if you are His, then you love the way He loves, and how can you not go? How can you not long to set the captives free?

And if you’re reading this, and you don’t know my Jesus, and you don’t see how He could ever be good… Oh, Beloved, don’t lose hope. He has beauty for your ashes. He has joy for your mourning. He longs to lighten your burden and set you free. He’s waiting, arms wide open, and you are the only thing between you. Don’t let this world destroy you.

Musical Musing: At The Foot Of The Cross (Women of Faith: Irrepressible Hope)