Another Year

I woke up around 4 this morning unable to go back to sleep. This happens often and I usually lay there for a good hour attempting to slow my heart rate and breathing to lull my body back to sleep.

But occasionally I know that it is the Holy Spirit awakening me for a reason. This morning was one of those times. As I unbundled myself from my cocoon of blankets, I made my way to the rocking recliner and spent some time in prayer.  It wasn't very long before I knew the reason I was awakened at such an early hour. 

After prayer, I took time to do my morning devotions and chose a new reading plan for the upcoming year. Years ago, the pastor of our home church challenged us to read the Bible through in a year and I have done it almost every year since. There's even been a year or two that I read it through twice. This isn't a study of God's word, simply an ingesting of it; kind of like taking a daily vitamin. It is something I need on a daily basis and the days I don't can easily turn into weeks and I know something is off with myself. Once I restart my daily "vitamin," it takes a day or two and everything feels as though it is working properly again. 

I digress...

After I began my new reading plan, I knew I needed more. I needed a focus for the coming year. I needed scripture to help keep me grounded and focused on my purpose for life; my purpose for breathing and the purpose of my heart beating. Sounds pretty weighty, eh?

But it isn't really. We as believers know we have a purpose for being here on this earth. After all, this isn't our home. We're just passing through, so what *is* my reason for being? What should I be doing that I'm not? How can I remember Who I am and Who it is that I belong to? How do I stay focused in this tumultuous life when the world is trying to tear me down and pull me into hundreds of different directions?

That's when Micah 6:8 came to mind. I love how the Holy Spirit does that. One minute I'm swimming in a pool of seemingly endless scripture and BOOM, He pinpoints what I need.

"Mankind, he has told each of you what is good and what it is the LORD requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God." CSB

Or

"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" ESV

Or

"He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you: To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." NIV

Or

"No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." NLT

I love looking at scripture in different translations. I think doing so often gives a fuller picture of what was intended in the original language.

Some brief background is needed for this passage. Micah was a prophet speaking on God's behalf. He was warning Israel of God's coming judgement. He begins by listing off Israel's sins, injustice, and pride. But it isn't all negative, Micah also gives the future hope of Israel being restored and the good news of the coming Messiah. 

In chapter 6, the people want to know exactly what the LORD is seeking from them. They ask the question and then throw in some hyperbole. I could be completely wrong, but I kind of view it as a teenager smarting off to a parent. 

Parent: "Please do the dishes"

Teen: "What am I? Cinderella? Should I wash the car, scrub the floor, and make everyone's supper, too?"

<insert major sigh from said parent>

Israel asks, "What should I bring before the LORD when I come to bow before God on high? Should I come before him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves? Would the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams or with ten thousand streams of oil? Should I give my firstborn for my transgression, the offspring of my body for my own sin?"

The answer from God is basically, "Dude. I've told you. You know this. Do what is right. Have a heart full of mercy. Walk beside me in a humble manner."

I took some time looking up the definitions of the words to give myself a bigger picture of what this verse is requiring of me. I love it.

Act Justly: One definition I found of the word justice was righteousness- doing what is right. Another definition was fairness. I think most of us feel as if our actions are right. That what we think, do, or say is right, or at least "our" right. I had to really stop and ponder if what I'm thinking, saying, or doing is fair. 

Are my reactions fair to another person? Am I stopping to see things from their perspective? I've learned a lot from my husband on fairness. He does an incredible job of seeing things from another's perspective and why they may think, act, or speak the way they do. He may not agree, but he tries to be fair. It's a trait I admire and one God requires of me, of all of us. Act justly; Do what is right.

I know that treating people fairly doesn't mean becoming a stomping ground for bad behavior. Doing what is right can be messy, but I think that's part of why the very next section of this scripture tells us to love mercy.

Love the fact that we don't get what we deserve. According to Oxford mercy is "compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm." Mercy is one of the defining characteristics of God. He is merciful and here He is calling us to be as well. We aren't just called to be merciful, we're called to LOVE mercy. Not show it begrudgingly, but to love it. L.O.V.E. it. According to 1 Corinthians 13, love is patient and kind. It doesn't envy or boast, nor is it arrogant or rude. Love doesn't insist on its own way. It isn't irritable or resentful, it rejoices in truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. And love, never, ever, ever ends. Never. Love mercy. Love not giving others what they deserve. Love not punishing. Love not harming. Love giving compassion. Love forgiving. Love.

A side note: When I was a growing Christian in my late 20s I went to a Bible study where we were discussing mercy. One of the older ladies (I say older...she was probably in her late 30s) made a remark that still nags at me today. In response to being merciful to others, she stated that she didn't have a lick of mercy in her body. She said it in a way that was boastful. As if she was proud of the fact that she didn't extend mercy. This has always made me sad and Micah 6:8 could be why. Mercy isn't an option. It's a requirement.

The last action is to walk humbly with our God. This almost seems like a redundancy. I don't think it is possible to walk with God and be full of pride. Humble simply means to not think highly of yourself. Walking with God daily, feasting on His word, spending time in prayer... It's impossible to not know how truly minuscule we are in the scheme of things. Yes, He can use us to do big things, but that's HIM, not me. 

Do what is right. Love Mercy. Walk humbly with God. It feels peaceful. It seems easy, but I know it isn't. The very first obstacle of this coming year will test my resolve and will show me whether or not I'm truly making this a part of my very being. 

I can't do it without Him. I can't do it on my own. I don't want to do it on my own. I want others to join me. I want God to do the work in and through me. In my weakness, He is strong and I know I am very, very weak indeed. But the good news is God's mercies are new every morning. There's always a restart. That feels hopeful.

And I definitely need hope.