Saturday, February 09, 2008

Meditation for Worship, Feb. 10, 2008


We fell for it, Lord.

We believed Lucifer’s lie, that being a creature wasn’t good.

Creatures are limited, he said.

Creatures are forever having to rely on God, he said. Always having to be what You want us to be.

The serpent told us
we could have it our way,
and we feared being a creature
more than we feared You.
It wasn’t enough for us to be splendid, good creatures.
We wanted to be You.

So you gave us the desires of our hearts,
and now we are sinful and frightened.

"Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing."

But instead of fearing You, Father, we fear doing without.
We can’t live on stones; we need food. And lots of other stuff.
We fear not having enough.
We fear not having the latest things.
We fear we won’t be able to get more stuff.
We’re afraid, Lord.
Teach us to fear rightly: to revere every word that comes from your mouth.

Father, instead of fearing You, we fear not looking good.
We want to make a splash in the world, so people will notice us.
We’re afraid of not impressing others.
We’re afraid of losing face.
We’re afraid of being ugly.
We’re afraid Lord.
Teach us to fear rightly: to be frightened of putting you to the test.

Instead of fearing You, we fear being isolated and powerless.
We want to be in control.
We’re afraid to submit to anything beyond ourselves.
We’re afraid of being overruled.
We’re afraid of being alone.
We’re afraid Lord.
Teach us to fear rightly: to worship you alone, and to serve only you.

For the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and when we fear You, Father, we will lack no good thing.

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