Can we roll tonight?

“‘Looks like I lost the will to carry on, my friend,’ she said..”

The opening lyrics of Ed Kowalcyk’s collaboration with Shelby Lynne, ‘Run Away’ play on my head now, never once today faltering in impact… in fact, it’s the opening instrumental which has me emotionally charged already as it is. I’ve interpreted this song today as a man looking for someone to just leave everything behind with. And as they sing the chorus, they understand that this is by no means a guaranteed benefit, going as far as outright recognizing that ‘it ain’t no victory, but I don’t care’.

Quite the challenging thought: To end it all short of death, and to start again. Something people may think they need. Something I considered. Something I held back upon because I was thinking to myself that this was also kind of like telling God that He made a mistake in running my life.

…Or is it that we made too many mistakes from thinking that we can run our lives without Him?

…Or was it that we were making too many mistakes from thinking too much about how we can run our lives with Him, as if our efforts would make Him ‘closer’?

…Or was it just that we didn’t believe, as expressed by how we’re giving it way more attention than we should?

Brilliant job by the Bible Project, presenting us with the perspective of how people back in the day literally meditated on the Law of the Lord, and how we can learn from that now in the light of Christ and His finished work. The Law of the Lord defined every waking moment and every dot and every letter of every word the came out of the heart of he who meditated on it strenuously.

In the New Covenant, we find a deeper definition and meaning in Christ, who is the Living Word, who is the fulfillment of the Law. As such, we are transformed as our minds are renewed in God’s perfect timing the more we know this new Law, literally a Spirit alive in us. With all the stress of salvation taken away, we work in rest and rest in work (no, sleeping on the job doesn’t count – this is precision from peace, not laziness).

To put this all together, we may find ourselves exhausted and place the blame of life and reality, but we need to take a step back and humble ourselves. As we are part of this world, we owe no explanation to ourselves to understand why we are pinned down – that’s just how things are, whether we bring misfortune and anxiety upon ourselves, or if we are absolutely clueless at a loss or a disaster and/or a calamity.

The point in all this is not to ask why, but who we can trust. We can, indeed, meditate on the Law on the tablets of stone, and end up falling on our faces as much as the other guy who places complete confidence in his own identity and strength… OR, praise God, we can choose to recognize our place in the order of everything, and place our trust in the Creator, whom we know loves us, because Christ and His finished work is the proof of this love.

‘This ain’t no night to be on your own’