S)"20 You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him, and you shall swear by His name."
Deuteronomy 10:20 (NASB)
O) Let's see... you shall fear the LORD, check.
you shall serve Him, check.
and cling to Him, che- wait, what? Cling to the LORD? Cling to Him...
This is an interesting verb. It alludes to a desperation. It implies dependency. There is a problem with American culture, I think. Because of how our nation was formed and our separation from England to start our Independence, I think that it quickly became a part of our heritage - this idea of independence. Certainly in the beginning years of our country, the people knew the importance of needing God. Read any writings from early colonies and it becomes clear very quickly that it wasn't just the West that had a hard time settling. Over the 2+ centuries since then, though, our land was tamed. Slowly, the feeling of independence from England grew. Now, most Americans despise the French without realizing how vital they were to our independence, because we don't want to aknowledge getting help from anyone. That has spread, I believe, from politics and a world view to just about every area of American life. Most Americans despise authority being placed over them in any capacity. I think a big part of that is because they don't want to seem dependent on anyone. This makes serving God very difficult. I think one of the reasons we see miracles in developing countries is that they're so willing to be dependent on the LORD.
A) The first imagry I had of this concept of clinging was that of my son. He can be a bit of a scaredy-cat, but I'll never tease him for that. I'm always going to challenge him, but I need to be sure he always knows I'll protect him; I'll always keep him safe. Lately, he's been asking to get up on my shoulders, but he's very scared to do so. Sometimes he does okay getting up there, but when he does, man! that kid has a death-grip on my head! When it's time to get off, he grabs hold of me so tightly that I have to peel him off! He's holding on because he knows that he's safe as long as we're connected. He's depending on me for stability, protection - his very life from his perspective! This needs to be my attitude with God. I need to realize that if I'm not in touch with Him, with His presence, that I'm liable to fall. I'm liable to break something, up to and including my whole self, if I'm not holding on to Him for dear life.
P) Father, I need You! This is a confession that I am not a grown man! I am unable to live this life without my Father! Holy Spirit, open my eyes to all of the ways I am lost without the Father to protect me; I never want to think I can make it on my own. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
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