"As for God, His way is perfect; the Lord's word is flawless, He shields all who take refuge in Him." (Psalm 18:30 NIV)
Yesterday, during worship, we sang Good, Good Father. It is a favorite of mine, but for whatever reason, one of the lines hit me like a freight train.
“You are perfect in all of your ways.”
Chris Tomlin
It’s repeated several times through the bridge – a musical mallet driving truth into proud flesh. As we sang, I considered the current circumstances. We were pulpit-filling for a pastor whose healing hasn’t gone as hoped. We would spend the afternoon visiting a friend who just endured a limb amputation. Our own lives seems to be stalled out, stuck between assignments. Truthfully, things feel pretty far from perfection.
Of course, we memorized Psalm 18:30 as a family over a decade ago, when the kiddos were still small and easily influenced. The idea was that we’d teach them to stand on scripture, even when they didn’t understand.
"As for God, His way is perfect."
I stood there in that sanctuary with the people of God, singing all around me, trying to connect the dots between my perception of perfection and the mess that seems to be our actual story. The only possible explanation is that my meter is off. It’s broken and bad. The readings cannot be trusted. I couldn’t identify ‘perfect’ if it punched me in the face. My heart and my flesh are fair-to-middle and terrible at recognizing the goodness of God; but His Word remains unfailing.
Since the Fall, I can’t see accurately. Neither can you. Thankfully, our Good Father has taken this into account and intervenes on our behalf. His way remains perfect. How can we tell? Because His way is perfecting us.
Remember the end goal here: that we would be His people and He would be our God. Historically, we are so bad at belonging, but in His love and mercy, He is moving us forward. He’s recreating us into His people. And He employs what we deem as ‘imperfect’ circumstances to sanctify His sons and daughters.
What seemed to be a perfect sunset at the end of an imperfect day late last week. <3
With this new thought solid in my mind, I sang a little louder, a little more sure of my Good Father’s perfecting methods. The situations that stress us out are the very instruments He employs to move us more into His image. He is perfect in all His ways.
"Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48 NIV)
It is an impossible business for us to be perfect, but we can cooperate with the process of being perfected. Acknowledging the Good Father’s plan is a solid step in the right direction.
Dear God, today we see You as our Good Father and we agree with scripture: Your ways are perfect. Please forgive us for our flesh and blood wrestle. Help us see the sanctification You are accomplishing in our story. Give us a spirit of cooperation as we appreciate our need for perfecting. We submit to Your flawless leadership. Have your way through our laid-down lives. Amen.