But for you, O Lord, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer. For I said, “Only let them not rejoice over me, who boast against me when my foot slips!” Psalm 38:15-16
Years ago before the Christian Rock Band DC Talk went their separate ways, they sang a song asking what would happen if their fans witnessed them stumble and fall in their walk with the Lord. How often do people watch Christians with a jaundice eye, just waiting for them to mess up and not “be perfect”.
But we aren’t perfect, are we? Otherwise, we wouldn’t need a Savior in our lives. Bumper stickers, back in my college Jesus Freak days of the ’70’s when some of us refused to join the Hippie generation, said, ” I’m not perfect. God isn’t finished with me yet.” We underwent a bit of ridicule and persecution then because we had different morals. I felt so much pressure to be good, and behave well, until one day one of my college buds said to me that he wanted to know more about my Jesus because I was the first believer he knew who was a “real” person. He had seen me in times of stress and happiness, in times of surety and in times of doubt, but never losing sight of God, or rather never believing He lost sight of me.
We will stumble, our foot might slip. But the difference is we know our Lord will catch us, brush off our scraped knees, hold us tight and comfort us. He will see us through the consequences and even teach us a valuable lesson. But more than that, He will forgive us.
Psalm 121:3 says “He will not let your foot slip–he who watches over you will not slumber . . .” Is this a contradiction? I don’t think so. If we walk that closely with Him and not veer off onto our own slippery slope, He will make our feet as sturdy as a deer’s on high places. But, of course, we are human. That slope beckons us. If, and when it does, we can wait on the Lord to come to our rescue, again. We can confess, and go on, not wavering in our resolve that the Lord of All loves us and died on the Cross so we could be forgiven.
That is the message for those who watch and wait for the “oops” in our lives. That is our witness to the world, until the day comes when God has perfected us in Christ for all eternity.
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