Sweet Times

If Granny told us grandkids to do something, by crackie, she meant it!  And just in case the grandchildren doubted it, she kept a hickory switch on top of the refrigerator!

Humble submission is always best.  Granny’s hickory switch brought on humility rather swiftly and painfully!  The concept that mortal and finite man will arrogantly defy Almighty God is asinine (silly, stupid, foolish, unintelligent,  idiotic, dim … all the synonyms I could quickly locate).  This is, however, exactly what we do like Job did in his day.  I don’t remember Granny stirring up a whirlwind (although she grabbed the hickory in a whirlwind of movement), but [from a whirlwind] God began a serious discourse with Job in Chapter 38 that left him speechless. In Chapters 38-41, Job could hardly respond, and then only briefly, while the spiritual hickory stick was applied.  Job’s humble submission went like this, “Then Job said to the Lord, ‘I know that You can do all things, and that no thought or purpose of Yours can be restrained or thwarted … Therefore I loathe my words and abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes.’” (42:1-2,6)   Job had a hard lesson to learn, a lesson God still teaches His children today.  Shaking our finger in the Face of God in rebellion, pride, and self-sovereign didn’t work with Job and it doesn’t work with us.  Humble submission bows the heart and spirit before The God of the Universe in all circumstances of life.  My favorite part of Job’s story is in Verse 12: “The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning …”  Granny didn’t grab that hickory very much because she loved me; I knew it was always within reach but my obedience to her words made time with Granny sweet!  Isn’t that what we want with The Father – sweet times!  Humble submission makes that happen!