We almost never forget to put on our shoes out the door, unless, well, we rush out without them:
Kids come bounding through my door for their music lesson, take off their shoes, and (hopefully) enjoy and learn something new on their instrument of choice, and walk right out to go home without their shoes!
When I put shoes on my bare feet, I think of the protection and freedom they give me as I head out the door.
“Dear Lord, today I take my right shoe and think of Your Word in Psalm 125:
“Those who trust in the LORD Are like Mount Zion, Which cannot be moved but abides forever” Psalm 125:1.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem, So the LORD surrounds His people From this time forth and forever.
“Increase our faith to believe You today. To us who struggle to believe, ‘Help my unbelief! ‘
To trust You is to let go, surrender! It feels like a free fall. Help me understand what all this means.”
Those who trust in the LORD Are like Mount Zion, Which cannot be moved, but abides forever . . .
For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest On the land allotted to the righteous, Lest the righteous reach out their hands to iniquity.
Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, And to those who are upright in their hearts Psalm 125:3,4.
“You, Lord, don’t ‘see the same way people see’ (1 Samuel 16:7), people look at the outside of a person, but You see the heart.
You don’t see good people and bad people. What about the story about the housebuilders? You didn’t talk about good and bad, but about wise and foolish: The wise man built his house on the Rock, the foolish man, upon the sand.
Help us today to take heart in You and the wisdom of Your Word, even when we don’t understand everything in the full depth of meaning at times:
You see the heart, dear Lord. Not good or bad people, but the foundation each stands on. There are those who trust You on a foundation of Rock, and those who don’t . . . on a foundation of sand (Matthew 7:24,27).
The wise and the foolish.
How can we trust You if we don’t know You?
The left shoe is put on in remembrance of You, Your nature, ‘compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in mercy, forgiving . . . ‘ (Exodus 34:6,7).
Every house needs to be built on a good foundation.
Dear Jesus, if there’s anyone who understands to be misunderstood, Lord, it’s You.
Your Word is often twisted to hurt and deny . . . You. You don’t talk of “good” and “bad” people, . . . You created us all good, but then Genesis 3 affected all of humanity.
But to the broken, the hurting, the critical, the rude, the angry, the proud . . . this is all of us (!) (Romans 3).
You alone are Love. You alone never give up on anyone. You alone are Savior, Redeemer, Deliverer:
“For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest On the land of the righteous . . . “
Even though there are many deep layers to this verse, this thought comes to mind (to help me understand how this relates to me, broken, yet standing on You, the Rock as Mt. Zion):
“Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”
Those who are good? Upright in heart? “Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
As for such as turn aside to their crooked ways, The LORD shall lead them away With the workers of iniquity.
Peace be upon Israel! Psalm 125.
You are Peace, Jesus. Come wash us clean and make us new. We’ve put on our shoes. One of trust in You, as to stand on the Rock which is You, and the other shoe to walk in grace through faith,
with each step:
“O precious is the flow that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know, Nothing but the blood of Jesus!”
Nothing can for sin atone,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
Naught of good that I have done,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
This is all my hope and peace,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
This is all my righteousness,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
We remember our hope:
What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
(Nothing but the Blood of Jesus by Robert Lowry, 1876.)
So, today, moving forward through this advent season, I liken the act to put on my shoes, (which are a huge help to my activities,) as to the act to “put my trust in the LORD,” for one, and for two, to rejoice and marvel in His compassion and mercy on me and you.
There is no One like our Lord. He alone is the Rock of our Salvation. Amen!
