Standing under the umbrella of grace
Grand Sweep Daily Reading: I Kings 21, 22; Psalm 71
I Kings 21:17-19; 27-29 (NIV)
17 Then the Word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: 18 “Go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He is now in Naboth’s vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it. 19 Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Have you not murdered a man and seized his property?’ Then say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: In the place where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, dogs will lick up your blood – yes, yours!’”
27 When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly. 28 Then the Word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: 29 “Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.”
Good morning!
Humble pie can be hard to eat, especially when I have to admit that I was wrong. Do you ever struggle to apologize for an unhealthy attitude? When our daughter Rachel was learning to drive, she had a hard time understanding which direction to turn the steering wheel to get the car to move in the right direction. This was a very hard concept for her, especially when she would put the car in reverse. That Sunday morning, I was not a pretty sight, sitting in the front passenger seat next to my teenager daughter. My white knuckles clawed permanent indentations into the hand rest on the passenger door, as the fear of God poured from my head. Tiny little beads of sweat ran down my neck and soaked my dress collar. This was probably the time I came closest to resigning as a mother. Why did we always have to struggle on the way to church? The late, great Gilda Radner understood exactly how I felt. I loved it when Rosanne Rosanadana said, “It’s always something.”
Our Rachel had managed to get her driving permit. How did that happen? And of course, she loved to chauffer her mother and brothers to church every Sunday morning. Jeff always went to the church early on Sunday mornings to pray and prepare for worship. I would feed and clothe the children, get myself ready, and hurry to the church each week. My prayer was that we would arrive before the beginning of the prelude. When Rachel started to drive us to church, we had to slow down the pace a bit. I wanted her to take her time and not rush. But God love her, she knew we were in a hurry, and somehow, that prompted her to always have a lead foot. There are times when a lead foot comes in handy, but not when you’re trying to back out of the garage, down the driveway and into the street. On this particular Sunday morning, Rachel gunned it. I think she was tired of hearing me say, “Boys, hurry it up! We’re going to be late. We’ve got to go NOW!” Fortunately, the people on the sidewalk saw Rachel coming and moved out of her way. The neighborhood learned how to watch out for our Rachel. She turned the wheel in the opposite direction, and how we missed hitting the big tree in our front yard is beyond me. The rest of the way to church was rather unpleasant. I sat in the passenger seat with gritted teeth and spewing words of wisdom that sounded something like this: “Rachel, do you have any idea what could have just happened back there? You could have hit those poor joggers on the sidewalk. You could have taken out the tree and totaled my car. This is the only car I have to drive and I depend on it to get back and forth from work. You have got to be more careful, honey. You have got to pay attention to what you are doing when you get behind the wheel.” Okay, enough said. I think I’ve made the point.
The very next day, (I kid you not) I totaled my car in an accident while driving to work. The accident was completely my fault. I did not see the light change in the intersection and managed to t-bone a car coming from the cross-street. The car crunched around me. I couldn’t move, or even open the doors. The engine had been pushed back into the front seat. I chipped my two front teeth, broke several ribs and cut my leg. I had a whiplash that took several weeks to heal. Fortunately, the man that I hit walked away uninjured, by the grace of God. Talk about having to eat a little humble pie – I can remember laying on the sofa at home, holding Rachel’s hand and apologizing for my harsh, motherly words. While what I said to her that Sunday morning was not wrong; it just proves that no matter how careful we are, there are times when we are going to mess up. That is why they are called accidents. Are you an accident just waiting to happen? I know I am. My best intentions may not always bring about the best result. Admitting that we are less than perfect and choosing to repent for the mistakes we make is crucial to our daily faith walk.
King Ahab was a mess. Yet, when confronted with his sin, Ahab tore his clothes, covered his head in shame, and repented. The Lord Jesus extends grace and mercy to everyone who truly repents of their sin and longs to live in newness of life. Humble pie is never easy to consume. When the end result is forgiveness, standing under the Lord's umbrella is a great place to live. Won’t you join me this morning underneath the umbrella of His grace?
Grace and peace,
Deb Spaulding
www.songofdeborah.com
Pray for: a humble heart and contrite spirit. There will be a time when you will mess up, even when you’re intentions were good. Confess, repent and believe! There is grace today through the blood of the Lamb.
____________________________
© Copyright 2007, Deb Spaulding
All rights reserved
Articles may not be printed in any “for profit” publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles. Articles are sent originally to subscribers only. You may have received a forwarded or reprinted copy.
