Deliverance is nigh

Deliver Me

Deliver me out of the sadness
Deliver me from all of the madness
Deliver me courage to guide me
Deliver me your strength inside me

All of my life I've been in hiding
Wishing there was someone just like you
Now that you're here, now that I've found you
I know that you're the one to pull me through

Deliver me loving and caring
Deliver me giving and sharing
Deliver me this cross that I'm bearing

- By the Beloved from the album X -
(Covered by the David Crowder Band here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnXYxevk-ak)

"In You, O Lord, I put my trust; let me never be ashamed; deliver me in Your righteousness. Bow down Your ear to me, deliver me speedily; be my rock of refuge, a fortress of defense to save me. For You are my rock and my fortress; therefore, for Your name's sake, lead me and guide me." (Psalm 31:1- 3). In the midst of turmoil, I will learn to trust that God has my best interests at heart. On the other hand, I've to admit that it's a rather self-centred conceit.

Sometimes I wonder how it's like to be God, to have to balance the good of the majority vs that of the individual (or as Spock would put it, 'the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few' - utilitarianism neatly encapsulated). What type of philosophy would He subscribe to? Is it possible to chart a path through life that would result in the best outcome for every single created being, from the lowliest amoeba to the current leaders of the so-called free world (no comparison intended)? Theoretically, I guess the answer is 'yes'. All I know is I wouldn't like such a job, just thinking of the scope of the responsibility involved is enough to do my head in! It'll be worse than trying to spin plates, juggle balls, turn somersaults and eat fire (pardon the circus similes) all at the same time.

In the grand scheme of things, do my decisions make a difference? Does what I do in the here and now make a dent in how the future plays out? Does it ultimately matter if the answer was 'no'? Ah, the hubris of it all! The need to be known for something, anything, has been the downfall of many a person. The desire to leave a legacy, to make a mark that shows that yes, 'so-and-so was here'. Truly, "all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away" (1 Peter 1:24).

"For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become manifest; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire." (1 Corinthians 3:11-15) Even if it is my destiny to be forgotten, may my work be found to bring Him praise and glory forever, world without end.