Feeling a Little Tension, Anyone?

In my chronological read (not book by book...but day by day, year by year) of the Bible (I had hoped to read the entire Bible in a year...am just going to complete the Old Testament...but what a blessing this journey has been.  Please consider such a read!)...

Let's begin again, shall we?!

In my chronological read of the Bible, I came across a grouping of Psalms that caught my attention for two reasons:

1. Angela Thomas' study Stronger focused on such a Psalm, a study we just completed a month or so ago, resulting in some powerful reminders from that study.
2. The word tension snagged at my soul, for there...right there...I am...

In the descriptor just above Psalm 120, there rested these words:

THEME:  A prayer for deliverance from false accusers.  All believers must live with the tension of being in the world but not belonging to it.

Now, within my workplace, so much tension resides.  Paper rationing.  Ever-changing expectations. Unclaimed mountains...yet mountains that must be climbed, which we are...yes, one step at a time...except...under the load, we often stumble backwards for every one forward, finding little success.

Tension.

In this world, we will feel tension, for our souls rival with the sin natures within ourselves, our peers, our families, myself.

As a seamstress, as a want-to-be crocheter, I know, though, that some tension is a very good thing.  Lines stay straighter; stitches remain concise...all because a bit of stress is placed on that thread.  Interesting, yes?

I do know this...that the times that I have experienced the most tension in my life, my relationship with God was never closer, lining me up, stitching me close.  Not always pleasant...yes, those punctures hurt!...always better put together, though, for what we...yes, God and I...have experienced.

In this series of Psalms, these pilgrims are on a journey to the Temple for the annual festivals.  I, too, am on a journey to the Great Temple...step by step, experiencing tension along the way, drawing me ever closer to Him.  I am a part of that remnant.

If you are experiencing "tension" today, this week in your spiritual walk, I encourage you to remember that if life is a thread, then He is the Guide that determines how much tension you need to keep those stitches together, binding you and Him into a garment that will not unravel.  For as Psalm 120:7 states, "I took my troubles to the Lord; I cried out to Him, and He answered my prayer."

Amen.