They all have their twists and turns, their hero and their villain, their good and evil and they come out with the hero winning and the happily ever after to bring it to a close oh-so-nicely.
I happen to know of two couples that used the fairy tale theme for either their courtship or their wedding. So dreamy, so positive, so fanciful, so hopeful. Does the promise of "and they lived happily ever after" really come to pass? Is life honestly something that we can try to fit into the fairy tale mold? I think our cynical world beats the thought of the possibility of a fairy tale ending out of us by about the second or third grade. Shameful isn't it? Or is it?
This next verse of thanks comes from a psalm of David where the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. The passage is at the end of a 50-verse long song (psalm) in which he comes full circle from describing his experiences of mortal danger with phrases such as; cords of death entangled me (v. 4), torrents of destruction overwhelmed me (v. 4), cords of the grave coiled around me (v. 5), smoke rose from his nostrils (v. 8), and consuming fire came from his mouth (v. 8). These are verses from God's Word.... not a fictional fairy tale... though David is an old testament "drama king" - - but you do see how I can get a parallel here, right?
"Therefore, I will give thanks to you among the nations, LORD; I will sing praises to your name." Psalm 18:49 ISV
After enduring all the horror, terror and potential pain and death, David is rescued by the Lord Almighty and receives his "happily ever after," it appears, in this verse of thanks.
In my BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) notes this week there is a part of a paragraph that I cannot quote directly, due to clear copyright infringement, but I will try my best to sum it up. Basically it is saying that everybody is subject to suffering in some form of injustice, deception or adversity. God promises His people that He will work through even the worst of situations and circumstances for His glory and their eternal good. The opposite is also true. God does NOT work through circumstances to bring the happy ending to people who choose to daily despise their spiritual inheritance (salvation through Christ). God gives the comfort of the "happily ever after" only to those "who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).
You see, though the world tells us that fairy tales are just that... fictional... unachievable... non-reality, I'm here to tell you that we, as Christians, have been promised and will achieve our "and they lived happily ever after" through Christ's redeeming blood when we die or when He returns, whichever comes first. Heaven is our fairy tale ending that truly exists. Praise the Lord and be thankful!
As we prepare our hearts during this Lenten season, let us remember the ultimate ending that we are promised. We'll celebrate Jesus' rising from the grave and conquering death for all eternity. He is our Lord, our Savior, our Redeemer, and we are His forever!
"And be thankful." Colossians 3:15b
Love it!! Thanks for uplifting me with this, Merrie!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your encouragement, Shelley. However, I cannot take the credit... it is the work of the Holy Spirit through me. For that I am humbled and so grateful!
Delete