2023-06-17 A Meditation on the Chosen and the Few

“4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.” (2 Pe 3:4–7 ESV)

The better for the wear, the traveler unto today’s hurry-up, today’s careening society, church society winnowing, the ax at the root of the tree: warp speed that not all shall rise to. Many shall fall away, we reflect upon. Many, maybe ourselves, will find the need to pass the baton. Many will forgo that timeless counsel: be of simple mind, and steadfast heart. Get not riled up, or in a tizzy, as the voice is heard calling for the mountains to fall on us.

For to be a survivor is actively to deal with signs of apocalypse (as if!) all around. That is some way that reality is both held in common, yet mysteriously gives us prime vantage point and tutelage. We are tutored as to a steadfastness of heart that panics not, that evades no longer, that crumples and whimpers no more. We are greeting the day with all-systems-go calm. As if speaking to a handful. As if alive and focused on a Gospel mandate: to these I was sent, and nothing more. No more is asked of life than to vouchsafe that Good Word that saves. No more, but to speak over the din: God is real; He saves; He rescues.

To stand up, to be counted among the servant class of warrior for the Good, to relish rather than evade the trials; these things are a truth we can handle. In strength gifted to us, we can handle such truth. We fall not into cozy notions of career and resting spot, to a more meager kind of God who would patronize our lazier days. No, our God and Father rests in a High Majesty that looks in but often speaks not, so often only known for His cherishing of what we His Creation have got up to. Who has overlooked the youthful times of rebellion. Who focuses our outlay and zeroes in on our healthy-mindedness, our full-body and mind experiential, guiding, training, areas. We are trained to appear strong, not on our own understanding of what does project strength, but on His worldly-wise knowing. We see the drums that set the pace, the armies of old that fought what we in our small cubicle today fight via spirits in the air all around us; not ashamed to be pugnacious and resilient, but not warmongering; we are those calmed and sated by a channel going full speed ahead. We see the signs and the portents, of a prior generation, eons in the past as laborers and a warrior class of Man fought deadly and often sad fights, yet their turf was won by divine intervention so that learning might develop, so that schools might form, so that kindness to one’s neighbor and to the foreigner in our midst, might develop. So that freedom might shine forth as a deeply sheltered and inwardly-held, only partly understood, phenomenon.