As the rain and snow

“Then Jesus said to them, ‘You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.” Peter answered him, ‘Though they all fall away.., I will never fall away.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.’ Peter said to him, ‘Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!’ Then Jesus went with them to Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, ‘Sit here, while I go over there and pray.’  And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he.. said to them, ‘My soul is very sorrowful; remain here, and watch with me.’ And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, ‘So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ 

“Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, ‘You also were with Jesus the Galilean.’ But he denied it before them all, saying, ‘I do not know what you mean.’ And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, ‘This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.’ And again he denied it with an oath: ‘I do not know the man.’ After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, ‘Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.’ Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, ‘I do not know the man.’ And immediately the rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, ‘Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly.” Matthew 26:31,33-38,40-41,69-75

Peter knew he was no betrayer, as Jesus had just announced (of Judas) at the Passover, and he was adamant he would never deny his Lord. He was zealous, committed to the One he had left everything to follow three years before. After all, he was in Jesus’s inner circle, privy to the transfiguration, and this night, to His prayer in Gethsemane. (Matthew 4:18-20; 17:1-8)

As it was, Peter’s bold impulsiveness was ‘open mouth-exchange foot.’ His confidence was in his determination, and Jesus, Who knew his heart as well as his flesh, warned him about relying on his will alone. Promising instead of praying, dozing instead of watching, are a poor substitute for vigilance in resisting temptation. Peter closed his eyes not only in sleep, but to the danger of his self-assurance, and he blatantly denied his Lord.

When do I gloat, ‘I can handle it, I can resist this time,’ then relax in false confidence that has no spiritual tethering or fortitude? Am I playing light with my tongue, unhealthy relationships, expenditures, emotions? When we do fall, our Savior offers grace and redeems us, as He did Peter, to full assurance in Him. (2 Peter 1:1-4)

My unchanging Strength and Salvation, I cannot be sure of myself, but only of You. May I not lean on my own understanding, but in all my ways acknowledge and rely on you. (Proverbs 3:5-6; Isaiah 12:2)

“A long time afterward, when the LORD had given rest to Israel from all their surrounding enemies, and Joshua was old and well advanced in years, Joshua summoned all Israel,.. and said to them, ‘I am now old and well advanced in years. And you have seen all that the LORD your God has done to all these nations for your sake, for it is the LORD your God who has fought for you. Behold, I have allotted to you as an inheritance for your tribes those nations that remain, along with all the nations that I have already cut off, from the Jordan to the Great Sea in the west. The LORD your God will push them back before you and drive them out of your sight. And you shall possess their land, just as the LORD your God promised you… The LORD has driven out before you great and strong nations. And as for you, no man has been able to stand before you to this day. One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the LORD your God who fights for you, just as he promised you. Be very careful, therefore, to love the LORD your God… And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the LORD your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed.'” Joshua 23:1-5,9-11,14 

I imagine, if Joshua had another heart, that idleness after years of military pursuit would have lent itself to much gloating, stories of great victories grown greater, exaggerated brags of his stellar strategizing, his remarkable leadership, his well-deserved rest. But Joshua was not as so many others; he was God’s man, through and through, and when advanced in years, he showed himself advanced in gratitude to and love for his LORD. His faith was firm in Him, his words exalted Him, his life was hid in Him.

While God had temporarily given rest to Israel, Joshua knew the land that was still to be conquered had already been claimed. He would not rest on his laurels, but with confidence in this Commander and Victor he knew so well, and with every last breath would remind God’s people of God’s greatness, power, mercies, and promises. His every I is swallowed up in the LORD.

As we advance in life and experience, what, or who, consumes us? In what place are we resting, the boundaried-camp of self, or the high sanctuary of the LORD? Do we feed our personal image so that I grows bigger than my Maker? Do I relish the praises of others instead of turning them to the Deserving One? Why are we prone to take a call from God, but then take credit, upon its achievement, for ourselves?

My covenant LORD, You are faithful and will not fail. May my advancing years advance Your glory, honor, and praise.

“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Cursed be the man who does not hear the words of this covenant that I commanded your fathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Listen to my voice, and do all that I command you. So shall you be my people, and I will be your God. And the Lord said to me, ‘Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: Hear the words of this covenant and do them. For I solemnly warned your fathers when I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, warning them persistently, even to this day, saying, Obey my voice. Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but everyone walked in the stubbornness of his evil heart. Therefore I brought upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not. They have turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear my words. They have gone after other gods to serve them.'” Jeremiah 11:3-4,6-8,10

How interesting that this curse pronounced by the Lord is first for those who do not hear, who refuse to listen; then He says, ‘and obey.’ While our obedience is a matter of will, it stems from what we take into our minds and allow to influence our thinking. Input affects output, and the Lord is teaching that listening to and understanding God’s word, allowing it to take root and grow in us, shapes our thoughts and attitudes, permeates our will, and is our impetus to think rightly, accept truth, and thus obey.

“May the mind of Christ my Savior
Live in me from day to day,
By His love and pow’r controlling
All I do and say.”  ~Katie Barclay Wilkinson (1859-1928)

What noise fills my days? Much is available, some unavoidable. But to what do I willfully incline my ears? When I tune in to listen, really listen, what is my source? How am I deciding who to consult for knowledge, insight? Whose opinions matter most to me, and should they? How do I determine which news is real, what experts are right, whose advice to value? Would I first go to the Way and Truth to seek His counsel? Will I consult the Bible as my perfect text? When I soak in God’s revelation of Himself, His promises and good plans and instruction for His children, His word grows in my spirit to bear fruit in my living. With warmed affection for Him, and a heart of reverence and gratitude, my desire becomes God-ward, my will wants to obey. (Proverbs 2:1-11; John 14:6)

“Speak, O Lord, as we come to You
To receive the food of Your Holy Word.
Take Your truth, plant it deep in us;
Shape and fashion us in Your likeness,
That the light of Christ might be seen today
In our acts of love and our deeds of faith.
Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us
All Your purposes for Your glory.”  ~Stuart Townend, Andrew Christopher, Keith Getty

Yes, Lord, speak, and tune my heart to hear, my will to heed. Amen.

“They went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, ‘Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry… So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.’ And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias.  And they prayed and said, ‘You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.’ And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.” Acts 1:13-17,21-26

Returning from the Mount of Olives where they had just seen their risen Christ ascend to heaven, the remaining eleven apostles, along with others, including Jesus’s siblings, gathered for prayer. What did this all mean? How should they process the recent happenings and how were they to move forward? It strikes me that they hid themselves away together and did not chat it up, pooling their ignorance or speculation or opinions,  did not try to figure the most advantageous spin on events for social media, but prayed.

 

They devoted themselves to prayer. They wrestled, asked, listened, with one voice, knit together in Spirit, sought wisdom and understanding, and God answered, marvelously. He brought to mind the passages of Scripture recent events had fulfilled. He shed light on Judas’s betrayal. He reminded them of Jesus’s instructions to go out two by two. They received His insight and moved to the next step. (Psalm 41:9; 69:25; 109:8; Zechariah 11:12-13; Mark 6:7)

Peter announced that they would need to replace Judas among their twelve, and gave the qualifications needed. Once again, they prayed, this time over their identified potential recruits. And once again, mighty God answered. He heard their plea for clear guidance and orchestrated the resulting lot to land on Matthias, who then joined their ministry of establishing churches in Jesus’s name all over the known world.

The Lord not only welcomes our earnest prayer, He beckons us come. Our time of worship, of surrender and dependence, avails much; He replies in gracious, bountiful ways according to our needs, His truth, and His good will. (Psalm 3:4; Jeremiah 29:13; James 5:16)

Oh God, my Shepherd, may my first response in every situation be to look up to You. Keep me devoted to prayer, and fully devoted to You.

“So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah… These were the cities [of refuge] designated for all the people of Israel and for the stranger sojourning among them, that anyone who killed a person without intent could flee there, so that he might not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, till he stood before the congregation.” “So by command of the Lord the people of Israel gave to the Levites… cities and pasturelands out of their inheritance… The cities of the Levites in the midst of the possession of the people of Israel were in all forty-eight cities with their pasturelands. These cities each had its pasturelands around it… Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. And the Lord gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands. Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.” Joshua 20:7,9; 21:3,41-45

What a beautiful ribbon around all the warfare, conquering, and possessing by the Israelite tribes in Canaan is the establishing of cities of refuge and allotments to the priests! Everywhere and always, no matter our place, is the mercy of God and His abiding presence.

The Lord went before these warriors to give them the land, hill and vale, rock and pasture, interior and coast, but He didn’t then just withdraw His hand and say, ‘Get on with life, go at it alone from now on.’ He determined cities where unintentional killers could find reprieve, be heard, and eventually win their freedom, and He sprinkled throughout the nation His anointed priests to permeate their homes with His presence, to serve His people and lead them in the word and worship. He was to remain enmeshed in their lives, and they in His.

Sometimes we ask for guidance, seek the Lord for direction in job, work, ministry, then after acting on His help we settle in and forget Him. We make our move, plant our fields, decorate our spaces, embark on our plans, and neglect the deeper opportunities of spiritual growth, increased knowledge of the divine, richer worship, compassionate service to others. The Lord intends that everywhere we settle, both physically and spiritually, His presence abide as our light and impetus for decisions, and treating others with mercy and grace. We must not forsake His ways when given the freedom to establish our own.

Would I to be settled with peace of mind, to have true rest on every side of my heart, I must trust my Savior’s word to me, hold fast to His good and sure promises, and acknowledge His ever-present power and grace.

Lord on high, thank You for promising to be with me always, to the end of the age. May my life be marked by, and with, Your merciful and glorious presence. (Matthew 28:20)

“Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.’” “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” “Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Jeremiah 9:23-24; 1 Corinthians 1:31; Galatians 6:14

Does anyone like a boaster? Who swags through life a coaster? Who thinks he is the moster? And everyone else a loser? There are some qualities that make people difficult to be around, and one is boasting, calling attention to self in a myriad of ways– ideas, accomplishments, credentials, possessions, performance, appearance. By nature, such boasting diminishes others, and elevates self in awkward puffery that aggrandizes momentarily but often does not hold up under scrutiny. When a brag gets too loud, too full of hot air, it pops, and its powdery glitter dissipates into nothing. The scriptures denounce such boasting, saying praise of ourselves should be up to others, and prescribe only one kind that exalts our God, and that is boasting in Him. While subversive thinking in a culture that inflates individuality, when we take credit for anything ourselves, we are necessarily stealing credit from God. (Proverbs 27:1-2; Isaiah 16:6; 42:8; 1 Corinthians 4:7; 5:6; 13:4; James 4:13-16)

So in a world where we are taught to look out for number one, and convinced we have a right to the best, and cajoled into any variety of self-serving experiences, these words can strike deep. After all, we have access to unlimited knowledge, we are trained and conditioned to be strong, we are media-driven to amass resources and advised to establish financial security. If these efforts are all-consuming, aren’t they what we would talk about and project to others?

How different is the flavor of a life when it is geared to knowing God, when its trajectory is to understand His character and ways, and to practice love, justice, and righteousness as He does. Pursuits take on a different compulsion; motivations are elevated; perspective takes on a new, broader dimension; attention and energy is spent not on the temporal, but the eternal; endless efforts to be approved by others are instead focused on the divine; lust for the world is swallowed by affection for the Savior; fear of God replaces fear of man.

The secret to this counter-cultural way of life is the cross of Christ. It is only in Jesus that the world and its patterns of thinking and doing are crushed and defeated. It is only in the cross where our prurient and selfish desires are crucified, and we are freed to boast in our Savior’s victory and appropriate His life. To boast in Jesus is to know Who He is, to grasp what He has done for me, to exhibit His personality and live out His praise in the here and now.

Oh Lord, adjust my inmost being that my words, meditations, and actions boast only in You. (Psalm 139:14)

 

“The lot of the tribe of the people of Benjamin came up, and the territory allotted to it fell between the people of Judah and the people of Joseph. On the north side their boundary began at the Jordan. Then the boundary goes up to the shoulder north of Jericho, then up through the hill country westward, and it ends at the wilderness of Beth-aven. From there the boundary passes along southward in the direction of Luz, to the shoulder of Luz, then down to Ataroth-addar, on the mountain that lies south of Lower Beth-horon. Then the boundary goes in another direction, turning on the western side southward from the mountain that lies to the south, and it ends at Kiriath-baal. The southern side begins at the outskirts of Kiriath-jearim. And the boundary goes from there to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah. Then the boundary goes down to the border of the mountain that overlooks the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, which is at the north end of the Valley of Rephaim. And it then goes down the Valley of Hinnom, south of the shoulder of the Jebusites, and downward to En-rogel. Then it bends in a northerly direction going on to En-shemesh, and from there goes to Geliloth, which is opposite the ascent of Adummim. Then it goes down to the stone of Bohan, and passing on to the north of the shoulder of Beth-arabah it goes down to the Arabah. Then the boundary passes on to the north of the shoulder of Beth-hoglah, and ends at the northern bay of the Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan: this is the southern border. The Jordan forms its boundary on the eastern side. This is the inheritance of the people of Benjamin, according to their clans, boundary by boundary all around.” Joshua 18:11-20

Not knowing the map of ancient Israel well, it intrigues me how detailed the descriptions of the tribes’ geographical boundaries are. Just as their inheritances, their mountains and valleys and views and bodies of water, were specific and measured, so are the boundaries of our lives. Every aspect of our experience– life-source, exhilaration, sorrow, relationships/neighbors– is fashioned and doled out by our all-knowing, benevolent God. While our lives intersect with others’, each has his own unique content, edges, and perspective.

There should be great comfort, and hope, and satisfaction, in recognizing the hand of our sovereign LORD in determining our lives’ boundaries. He orders every change, battle, deficiency, heartache, conundrum, adjustment, and ecstasy, that right where we are, we would seek, know, and delight in Him. “He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God.” Rather that resist our place, or what comes our way, we can, in this knowledge, rest in where He has us. (Acts 17:26-27)

Do I complain, chafe, covet, compare? Looking only unto the Lord, will I instead say with conviction, “The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.”? (Psalm 16:6)

Good Father, may I honor You by taking joy in the boundary lines You have fixed for me.

“Then the people of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, ‘Why have you given me but one lot and one portion as an inheritance, although I am a numerous people, since all along the Lord has blessed me?’ And Joshua said to them, ‘If you are a numerous people, go up by yourselves to the forest, and there clear ground for yourselves in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you.’ The people of Joseph said, ‘The hill country is not enough for us. Yet all the Canaanites who dwell in the plain have chariots of iron, both those in Beth-shean and its villages and those in the Valley of Jezreel.’ Then Joshua said to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, ‘You are a numerous people and have great power. You shall not have one allotment only, but the hill country shall be yours, for though it is a forest, you shall clear it and possess it to its farthest borders. For you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have chariots of iron, and though they are strong.’” Joshua 17:14-17

In the allotment of the land, Joseph’s double tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh, felt they did not have enough, according to their size, and asked Joshua for more. Their sage leader said, ‘You take it. If you are large enough to need it, you are capable of doing what it takes to possess it.’ This was not a dismissive ‘Do it yourself and stop whining,’ nor was it a misguided ‘You can do anything you put your mind to, be anything you want to be.’ Joshua was a leader extraordinaire who knew God’s sure promises and depended on Him for the insight and skill both to seize them and to dole them out. He genuinely ‘encouraged’ his people, instilling divine courage based on his Lord’s word to them.

What are chariots of iron and numerous men’s strength against the power of the Almighty? “You are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” Do we get so delusional in our perspective, so immersed in the horizontal world, that we trust in our man-made chariots and horses over the omnipotent Name of the LORD our God? (1 John 4:4; Psalm 20:7)

Where am I whining, ‘This is too hard, another’s fault, another’s responsibility’? “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:24)

Or where, if I am zealous to take the land, am I so enamored with myself that I trust my smarts, my plan, my efforts, without weighing in on God’s wisdom, direction, and supply? Have I slipped into thinking everything is up to me– the success of my work, the salvation of my loved ones, the changing of hearts, maturing of minds, provision for others’ needs, progress of my intentions? Will I step back and take thought with my Lord, seek His guidance, rely on His strength, and go forth at His command alone?

Lord, keep me tenacious, and wise, in taking hold of Your promises. May I never shirk my responsibility in possessing, delighting in, and sharing the gifts You bestow.

“The people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. And Caleb said to him, ‘You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God concerning you and me. I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought him word again as it was in my heart. But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the Lord my God. And Moses swore on that day, saying, “Surely the land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.” And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old.  I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. So now give me this hill country of which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord said.’ Then Joshua blessed him, and he gave Hebron to Caleb for an inheritance. Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb to this day, because he wholly followed the Lord, the God of Israel… And Caleb drove out from there the descendants of Anak.” Joshua 14:6-14; 15:14

Faithful Caleb had spent over half his life patiently looking to God’s promise, trusting it to be true, and at the right time he requested its fulfillment. This is a beautiful picture of faith exercised, unwavering over the years, and now grasping what was assured him.

The scriptures are full of promises to us that we let lie fallow, out of either ignorance, lack of faith, or an over-consumption with self and our own efforts at winning and achieving our own successes. I am inspired by Caleb in that he never lost sight of the land committed to him, and was willing to wait to possess it– the promise was as sure as accomplished, and kept him steady through the decades, taking one step at a time, tuned in to God’s perfect timing. As his physical strength had not waned, neither had his zeal for God’s gift to him.

Do I take time to search the scriptures for God’s rich promises to me of strength, wisdom, guidance, provision, peace, hope? And then, do I claim them in grateful, expectant prayer, thus honoring the trustworthiness of the One Who offers and delights to give? Am I willing to let go of my stubborn control and penchant to make things happen myself, to exercise faith by deliberately, actively trusting God to bring about what He says He will? (1 Chronicles 29:12; Psalm 32:8; Proverbs 3:5-6; Matthew 6:33; 7:7; John 16:33; Romans 15:13; Philippians 4:6-7)

Lord, You are bountiful, able, and trustworthy. Grant me faith to possess all You have promised to give, that You alone are magnified.

“Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken,  smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” “The other disciples told [Thomas], ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.’ Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” Isaiah 53:4-6; John 20:25-28

Captivated by the ragged scar on the rock face, wondering at its cause, my mind turns to the nail scarred hands. The closer we climbed, the more angles of light that exposed the jagged edges of riven rock, I could not help but think of my Rock of ages, cleft for me, the immovable Rock upon which my faith is established, the Rock and Redeemer Whose side was split for me, His blood and water washing my sins away and freeing me from the tyranny of transgression, temptation. What a Savior! (1 Samuel 2:2; Psalm 18:2,46; John 19:34; 1 John 5:6)

So why do I shrink from pain that brings scars? Do I choose soft quilted cushions over the fray, unwilling to bear shame and agony my Savior bore for me? Do I retreat from speaking or defending truth to hide behind a protective curtain of ignorance or acquiescence? Am I above identifying with Him? He Who holds me in His nail-scarred hands is He Who is sufficient for all things, including pain and suffering. He redeems every sorrow, making beautiful every scar to reflect His mercy and glory. (Isaiah 49:16)

“Hast thou no scar?
No hidden scar on foot, or side, or hand?
I hear thee sung as mighty in the land;
I hear them hail thy bright, ascendant star.
Hast thou no scar?

Hast thou no wound?
Yet I was wounded by the archers; spent,
Leaned Me against a tree to die; and rent
By ravening beasts that compassed Me, I swooned.
Hast thou no wound?

No wound? No scar?
Yet, as the Master shall the servant be,
And piercèd are the feet that follow Me.
But thine are whole; can he have followed far
Who hast no wound or scar?”  ~Amy Carmichael (1867-1951)

Good Master, free me from a penchant to love ‘softening things, easy choices, weakenings,’ anything that would promote a ‘silken self’ over being a warrior for Thee who welcomes scars that share the marks of my Savior.