The blogpost approaches the topic somewhat differently than do the 9:20 video and audio file.
As the prophet Jeremiah sees the destruction of Jerusalem coming, his soul laments in a purity and depth that have a lesson for us today. His lament, his grieving, his sadness, is so free of anger, so free of anxiety, that he can express the divine feelings in unsurpassed poetry.
As we watch our darkening world with its engines revving up for World War III, we are not—as far as I can see—in Jeremiah’s situation. I believe that we have a chance to turn the ship away from destruction on the rocks. I believe that a critical mass of individuals positioned in different groups can prepare us for leadership that will enable God to unleash the forces of righteousness and love and catalyze the spiritual renaissance that alone can save our world from a lot worse chaos.
But we do well to learn how to lament the trajectory of our world even now. There is so much suffering, abuse, devastation, aggression, passive refusal to take up responsibility, cowardice, anxiety, greed, unwillingness to fact facts, deafness to truth . . . .
Two centuries before Jeremiah the prophet Isaiah saw destruction coming upon Israel from the army of the Assyrians. But he also gave unforgettable, poetic voice to his vision of God’s truth.
For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:
In returning and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.
But you refused and said,
“No! We will flee upon horses”—
therefore shall you flee!
and, “We will ride upon swift steeds”—
therefore your pursuers shall be swift!
A thousand shall flee at the threat of one,
at the threat of five you shall flee,
until you are left
like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain,
like a signal on a hill.
Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious
to you;
therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
Blessed are all those who wait for him.
Listen again. “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” This is the faith of a little child. This is saving faith. Yes, we begin with a child’s faith and but need to grow into an adult faith. But adult faith stays in touch with child faith. When adult faith gets over-strained or just needs a break, the mortal of earth can rest in the everlasting arms of the Creator of the universe with the faith of a little child.
The gospel messenger invites people to enter the universal family in humility, with the faith and trusting dependence of a little child. Often it has happened that prophets have invited people to return and rest in quietness and trust . . . and the people, refused. Refused to consent to worship the one true God.
The lines from Isaiah about horses and a flagpole on a mountain are not easy to interpret without some context or a teacher like mine. The interpretation that I like interprets the refusal as clinging to give up worshiping idols of wealth, power, and religious tradition–whatever secondary values eclipse our realization of divine fellowship. We try to run away from the threat, but it overtakes us; and the consequences are devastating. The image of the flagpole on a mountain symbolizes the person/community/nation that is isolated, defeated, and devastated for all to see.
And yet these consequences are part of a larger plan. Full of mystery, the Creator’s sovereignty pervades our evolutionary course towards a glorious individual and planetary destiny. Warm mystery.
The concluding lines from Isaiah teach universal truth. God waits patiently until we are ready to turn and take the next step forward according to the plan which requires our cooperation. The promise of blessing in a wonderful destiny comes in one way to the individual, in another way to humankind on our planet.
When we are ready, we cooperate, beginning with the faith of a child. That faith is a gift from God. When we use that faith, we discover that doing so enables God to make us whole. In that sense, we are saved by a child’s faith.
Image credit: The Washington Times, June 15, 2013.
