In J. R. R. Tolkien’s books of Middle Earth, eagles swoop in to rescue Gandalf and the hobbits who travel with him. But the rescues are frightening. Eagles snatch Gandalf’s friends out of trees and carry them high above the earth, held only by sharp claws. Eagles drop the vulnerable travellers into nests on steep cliffs and towering rocks. Sometimes I ponder on how nice it would be to have Eagles come in and lift me out of the difficulties I have mired myself and dug myself into.
Psalm 91 reflects this same
paradox as it contrasts the terrors of deadly pestilence and piercing arrows
with protective wings and a shield of faithfulness. The world is a frightening
place. Our lives are filled with dangers and treacherous paths. We need not be
a warrior like David or a Saviour like Jesus to know the fears and terrors of
this world. Question the wrong parent at a Parent, Teacher group meeting or
forget a deadline at work, and you fear the worst. Determine how best to care
for your parent with dementia or advise your child about a career decision, and
you are faced with foggy confusion.
Whether to spend money on a
new car for your growing family or fund the overseas mission group, reminds you
that stewardship is more complex than just an annual pledge card. Wondering if
your clothes were manufactured by labouring children as you yearn to help stop
human trafficking are haunting thoughts during a routine shopping trip. Into this
confusing, troubling world, God promises protection and shelter.
God’s rescue comes in many
forms. A forgiving boss or a former enemy laughs at a mistake, and our fears
are relieved. We see a parent at peace with the new caregiver and a child rejoicing
in their new decision, and we realise God’s wisdom is here. God is with us in
our troubles, in our questions, and in our fears. We are not alone. And that is
rescue enough.
But we are apt to say, “There,
but for the grace of God, go I” which implies that some people are left out of
God’s grace. If grace keeps some from certain sufferings, then others
experience the same conditions because they are outside of God’s mercy. Am I at
times truly outside of God’s grace. Are some people truly outside of grace? The
popular notion of grace indicates that some suffering happens because grace
does not.
Perhaps it is the
expectations like me wanting to be lifted out of a situation by Eagles that
create the chasm that separates people. The ideas we have about who “deserves”
and who is holy and how to share the love of Christ might need to be more open
to the Spirit’s definition than to our own. We have been found by grace and
called to seek others to bring into that same grace.
The definitions we set are
never a sure thing. After all, the people who killed Jesus were pretty sure
that life and death were clearly established situations. We also need to remind
ourselves that God is with us in our troubles, in our questions, and in our
fears. We are not alone. And that is rescue enough and grace for all.
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