“Wrap all your trust around God, clinging to Him like a belt, to keep your whole life from falling down around your ankles, tangling you and drowning you in it all. . . . You are on the way of Jesus only when you need to cling to Jesus the whole way.”- Ann Voskamp
“For as a belt is bound around the waist, so I bound all the people of Israel and all the people of Judah to me, declares the LORD, to be my people for my renown and praise and honor.”- Jeremiah 13:11 (NIV)
Ann Voskamp concludes Chapter 13 of WayMaker as she asserts that nothing’s more insulting to God than telling Him you don’t trust His ways at all. That you’d prefer to cling to the comfort of your choice instead. Thus, the dark curving of the human heart narrows its focus, find itself consumed with desires to take care of, comfort, and preserve self.
In addition, Ann notes, this curving process causes us to murmur — in Hebrew, layan. Meaning ‘to remain’ or ‘to stay.’ Therefore, murmuring signals a refusal to move forward. Thus, the author explains:
“Murmuring is stopping to rail against God, which is the antithesis of stilling, which is slowing and paying attention to God, and where our soul is in relation to Him.”
Hence, when you doubt that the WayMaker’s taking care of you, you curve toward making your own wilderness. Your own barren desert way.
Writing in The Great Divorce, (1946) C. S. Lewis described two stances toward God. One trusting, the other terrifying. Lewis said:
“There are only two kinds of people in the end, those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘Thy will be done.’ All that are in Hell choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell.”
In conclusion, Ann states, no human heart beats with self-sufficiency. Because we all choose bonding or bondage, all our hearts find dependence in ways that flourish us or wilderness us.
Today’s question: What Bible verses help you in clinging to Him like a belt? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: the July Short Meditation, “My guiding light with every step I take”
