It is a paradox that the more control of your life you give to God, the more free you become.
"So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:36
A lot of the Bible reads like a history book. It tells the story of a people that was lost and wandering in this world and needing direction. It gives lineages, stories of individuals and major battles. Even in history we see God at work in people's lives.
Some of the Bible reads like poetry. The poetry strikes at the heart. It's filled with emotions and despair and joy. Some of the most poignant passages come from the darkness of the souls of the writers. Especially in poetry, we see God's love at work in people's lives.
Parts of the Bible read like eyewitness accounts. People are retelling their versions of events that happened, sometimes trying to find the right words and sometimes getting the order of events different than other eyewitnesses. But each account retells the grace and majesty of the intersection of Heaven and earth.
Certain sections of the Bible read like stream of consciousness essays. Almost like James Joyce. The writers are trying to explain the dreams and revelations they received. Trying to put majestic events into mundane words. Explaining the unexplainable. Even in the visions of their minds, we see the grace of God in their lives.
Some chapters of the Bible read almost like a professional or theological treatise. Like someone has submitted a scholarly paper for peer review. It talks about technical terms like salvation and the qualifications of a High Priest. But even in the technical aspects, we see the glorious aspect of Jesus on display.
The Bible has everything. Action. Adventure. Drama. Love. Jealously. Sin. Redemption. Journeys. Transformation.
And it spans all literary genres. Prose, poetry, stream of consciousness, history and eye witness accounts.
The more I read of the Bible, the more I stand amazed at how the Holy Spirit has worked in so many different lives in so many different time periods to bring us the story of God's love in our world.
But also, the more I read, the more I get drawn to a certain book in the Bible. I can't go a day without reading a section of Psalms. Because in Psalms we see the intersection of all of these genres as told from a very human point of view. In Psalms, we see the writer's rage and despair. In Psalms, we see the anguish David went through when he was convicted of his sin and the stubbornness of his human frailty when he refused to confess. We see the joy he felt when he received forgiveness and the humility he had when he looked at the majesty of God's creation. We see real, honest anger at those who hurt him. And we see genuine love for those he cared for.
In the Psalms, we see real world, authentic life on display. Sometimes in its ugliest form and sometimes at its greatest.
In Psalms 32 we see that real-world anguish when David refused to seek forgiveness for the sins that haunted him. He says, "While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer."
But then in the next verse we experience the joy of forgiveness when he turned his life over to God. "Then I acknowledged my sin to you and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,' and you forgave the guilt of my sin."
Life is a paradox. And David vividly tells us about that paradox. When we stubbornly refuse to accept God's grace, our life is filled with pain and worry. But when we give control of our lives to God, we truly are set free.
PASTOR TROY CONRAD IS MINISTER OF THE FARMINGTON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH. EMAIL: [email protected]. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR.
Religion on 03/08/2017