I am currently thinking of the line in "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" where the Sheriff of Nottingham is talking with his cousin. The cousin asks: "Why a spoon cousin?" To which the Sheriff replies: "Because it hurts more you twit."
I feel that my readers may be asking the same type of question in their mind: Why a worm? Well, it is a long tale which will probably take between 5 and 10 more lines to tell or maybe more, so brace yourselves.
It has been probably 14 years since I first pondered Psalm 22:6, " But I am a worm and not a man, A reproach of men and despised by the people." It is often I have felt this way, some might even label this as depression, but I feel more like King David, the author of this psalm, because there is hope in his God. For David does not stop there in the "pit of despair", but cries out to God for deliverance so that God's name might be praised and he continues to praise God as the creator of life, the one who rules over all nations, the only one who can provide the complete salvation that David needs from his most dreaded foes and thus, God has accomplished it. God has provided for worms, such as David has described.
God has provided a means by which all those who are feeling like worms might be delivered from their most dreaded foe. Whether they realize it or not that dreaded foe is God. For only by God's provision of a pardoning grace can we be delivered from His wrath. Romans 5:10 declares what this provision is, "For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life." It is in this provision that I find myself, though still many times feeling like a wretched worm.
I feel that my readers may be asking the same type of question in their mind: Why a worm? Well, it is a long tale which will probably take between 5 and 10 more lines to tell or maybe more, so brace yourselves.
It has been probably 14 years since I first pondered Psalm 22:6, " But I am a worm and not a man, A reproach of men and despised by the people." It is often I have felt this way, some might even label this as depression, but I feel more like King David, the author of this psalm, because there is hope in his God. For David does not stop there in the "pit of despair", but cries out to God for deliverance so that God's name might be praised and he continues to praise God as the creator of life, the one who rules over all nations, the only one who can provide the complete salvation that David needs from his most dreaded foes and thus, God has accomplished it. God has provided for worms, such as David has described.
God has provided a means by which all those who are feeling like worms might be delivered from their most dreaded foe. Whether they realize it or not that dreaded foe is God. For only by God's provision of a pardoning grace can we be delivered from His wrath. Romans 5:10 declares what this provision is, "For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life." It is in this provision that I find myself, though still many times feeling like a wretched worm.
I am often left asking myself if I have received the pardon from God through His Son, Jesus, and I know many others do as well. Upon this intense interrogation of my self I am often left feeling much like this worm in Psalm 22:6. I have come to find that this is not something to be alarmed about, but a subtle reminder of God's provision of grace. Thus the reason for the worm. Christians should be about the business of examining our lives, asking ourselves if we love God more today than we did the day before. If you've been resting your salvation on a prayer or a raised hand, look at your life, has it changed? Salvation does not rest on those things, but only upon the evidence of the Holy Spirit working through you, and it is this I remind myself of when I am feeling like a worm.
More to come on this subject later. I think 3 days or so of thinking about this post and plenty of time spent typing, erasing, typing, erasing is enough for now.
More to come on this subject later. I think 3 days or so of thinking about this post and plenty of time spent typing, erasing, typing, erasing is enough for now.
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1 comment:
Excellent Micah. What a great reminder to us all that simply saying a prayer does not mean we are saved. I oftentimes need to remember that each day, my life should be reflectant of Christ in me. Thanks for the words of encouragement.
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