26^th March 2010

SEEDS FOR HARVESTING 5/1

Duet. 33:27 "Underneath are the everlasting arms."

Jesus filled His three years of earthly ministry
with word pictures of hope, challenge and truth.
Here is another word picture of peace and refuge.
It's over three thousand years old
yet filled with rich meaning and joy for us
as we voyage on into this new year.

The wonderful thing about word pictures is that
we have the freedom to imagine them with anticipated joy,
as guided by the Spirit,
in terms of what they mean for us in this present age.

"Underneath."
We usually imagine that God is always above
and out there not beneath us.
It sets our human mind at rest to think of God
lifting us up out of the turmoils of each day.

"Everlasting arms."
These can only be God's arms because
"Everlasting" is not, and cannot be a part of our human scene.
There can never be anything that is everlasting for us
except that which is of God.

I like to think that these words refer to resting secure
in God's presence and not escaping for some reason.
The words before these in this verse
talk about how "the Eternal God is your refuge."
So the "Everlasting arms" become for us God's eternal refuge.

The Spirit uses the Word to give us God's peace, love and joy.
If this does not calm our troubled hearts, nothing will.

Bob Imms 24.1.10