Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
    fear the Lord and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body
    and nourishment to your bones.

• Proverbs 3:5-8

“Have respect for the Lord and avoid evil.  It will bring health to your body.  It will make your bones strong.”

• My wife’s paraphrase of the last two verses of the Scripture above (2009)

My wife got rather literal with the bones being strong, but it was not long after this Bible study in 2009 when she had a diagnosis of osteopenia.  Osteopenia is a weakening of the bone mass, making them weaker.  With osteopenia, she had a greater chance of developing osteoporosis.  In more thorough tests, it seemed her osteopenia was mostly in her wrists and lower back.  While the wrist is the primary place to test for bone weakening, the lower back was the troubling spot.

The condition caused her to spend more time in prayer, in that a healthy diet might curb the decline, but it did not replace the bone mass that was lost.

But while my wife worried over finances for the rest of her life, she left her health up to the Lord.

“By relying on our daily needs and just trusting God to pull you through it.”

• My wife’s inner thoughts about trusting God

She understood, but she did not like it that much.  Everyone wants a little nest egg, but the nest egg of the rich is their downfall many times.  How can a rich person turn his/her finances over to God when there is an ample nest egg in the bank?  But then, how can a poor farmer rely on his daily bread when he gains enough at harvest time to last the year?  In careful budgeting, you can stay within your means and give the glory to God each month.  In so doing, you can rely on God in the daily expenses, the daily health issues, and those unexpected things that arise – or not arise because God is taking care of you.

And for all of us, how should we act when trusting in God?

“We must humble ourselves and through our weakness, God makes us strong.”

• My wife, as she digs deeper

My wife got to the issue in its simplest form.

How many times have you heard, God made me strong, or rich, or intelligent?  When you think of those kinds of attributes in yourself, are you relying on God or are you relying on what you say God gave you, thus relying on yourself?

This may be a fine line distinction for many people, but there is a huge gulf in the implications.  Some people who are in top physical condition, financially secure, and the smarts to maintain both, might dismiss God altogether on a daily basis.  They intellectually think God had a part in it, but then their muscles came from them working out.  Their money came from shrewd business deals or simply working harder than anyone else.  Now, they look back on how they got physically fit and financially secure, and God’s part in them getting there has diminished.  After a while, they start skipping a Sunday at church, and within a year or two, you never see them again.

But when we put God first in everything, and we humble ourselves before Him, then we realize that we have no strength at all, unless God grants it to us.  And when we reach that point, then we can surely trust God for our needs today, and we will trust tomorrow, in the same manner, when tomorrow comes.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.