So often we think of God’s saving grace as something that lifts us out from things that we consider
undesirable. I think this is because so many of us only turn to God when
things get bad and we feel we cannot handle it ourselves. But this is
only half the story. These verses remind us that the from implies a to. Being saved is not only deliverance from “bad things,” it must be also understood as delivered to an abundance of good.
Prayer and praise change people, not God. To
praise God essentially requires us to willingly put God at the center
of our lives. We must surrender all of ourselves to the Spirit.
Green is term we use to describe those who are
inexperienced and childlike in understanding. But “green-ness” is
critical to a fresh perspective and new understanding. Although many of
us desperately cling to the “same-ness” and stability in our lives,
living is about change and transformation. If we fight to stay the same,
we find everything continues changing around us. It is in the new that
we are best able to embody those childlike qualities, we desire. When we
can drop the facade of expertise and knowledge, we allow ourselves to
just experience what is. The excitement and anticipation in facing the
unknown is palpable.
Is it God’s will for us to experience health? Doctors who understand will tell you that they do not and cannot heal. The medical profession has been trained in some protocols that may (or may not) hasten the process of healing.
But healing is a process that the created Universe seems to be bathed
in. There is a healing Presence that we have the opportunity to
experience in all facets of our lives.
