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In all our time of tribulation; in all time of our prosperity; in the time of death, and in the day of judgment, Good Lord, Deliver us.

1 Corinthians 13:11-13 (Amplified Bible):  11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.  12 For now [in this time of imperfection] we see in a mirror dimly [a blurred reflection, a riddle, an enigma], but then [when the time of perfection comes we will see reality] face to face. Now I know in part [just in fragments], but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known [by God].  13 And now there remain: faith [abiding trust in God and His promises], hope [confident expectation of eternal salvation], love [unselfish love for others growing out of God’s love for me], these three [the choicest graces]; but the greatest of these is love.

I remember an old tune that describes our journey through life as a walk “through the gardens and graves”. That phrase has aptly fit my journey and probably yours too, no matter what your age. We have all celebrated great days, such as a graduation, be it from kindergarten or college, where accomplishments are awarded. Yet that also leads to the end of friendships and fun times never to be experienced again. There are so many transitions we live through that take us from joy to sorrow over and over again. Make your own list, mine would fill several pages, in the smallest of print.

Some of these experiences however rapturous or rancid are not of our own making. They are part and parcel of life, be it sickness or snowstorms, broken hearts or broken heroes. Some of the gardens we plant ourselves, nurturing their beauty and wonder; a marriage, a family, or a deep calling that leads to a mission where you see God change you and others. But even these good times pass on by.

There are also the graves we dig ourselves. These are the times where we have brought ruin to our very souls and devastated others with pain and sorrow. We must pass these by as well, but can only do so with repentance and forgiveness. Without God’s deliverance, we can drag tombstones of guilt and regret behind us all of our days, and perhaps beyond.

In all these things, the good and bad, we need God’s guidance, wisdom and mercy. We need His deliverance. Now I understand and readily ask God for deliverance from sin, pain and sorrow, but why deliver me from my gardens, my good times, my prosperity? Where’s the goodness of God in that ? Why do I have to move on from these blessed times and places ?

I tell you I’m not always sure, but I think it has to do with the same reason Jesus didn’t let Peter build that tabernacle on the Mount of Transfiguration. Jesus tells me that my life is a journey, and I am not home yet, I have not made it back to “The” Garden. My good times are just a taste of what is to come, of what God has in store for me after the time of my death and past the place of judgment.

Finally, the best deliverance God gives is this; He promises me that if I am His, I will also walk past those places of my own death and judgment. I will walk with Him, and I will behold Glory.

Good Lord, deliver me…. and you.

Peace. Phil Parsons

P.S. We have come to the end of “Deliver Us” petitions from The Great Litany , and will move onto other parts of the prayer.

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From Rodger:

I can’t help but mention this:  Reading Phil’s thoughts above almost instantly took me for a stroll down amnesia lane; mainly through some of the “gardens” that he and I have had over the years.  The good and the bad:  Things like Roan Mountain (ask Phil!), the countless times at UT, especially some of those where Phil – the consummate commuter student, would call up before a bad snowstorm was due to hit, and let Crunch and me know that he’s on his way to campus to crash on the floor of our 4th floor dorm room in Morrill Hall that night,  or having Phil in New Jersey for my wedding (about as good a garden as it gets!), or having Phil join Bob K. and I for a retreat to Panama City, Florida with my mentally ill youth group in Atlanta (about as low a grave as it gets).  Or maybe Phil would have a thought or two about actually living in the war zone of my home in Alpharetta, GA in the mid 80s?

But what hit me most of all in all that is how Phil’s words reminded me of the nature of the journey that God calls all of us to spend a lifetime navigating.  Whether of our own making, or of God placing a hedge squarely in our path to drive us / guide us in the right direction, these are those temporary moments that all become a part of the over all journey.  And they are to be celebrated – good and bad – as as part of the journey.  It reminded me of the end of one of my bonus sermons a couple of years ago.  I visited a spot on the Oconaluftee River in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park; it was actually the grave of a paddler who had drown in that spot a few weeks prior to my visit.  And the thought I was thinking through that day on the journey, was almost exactly what Phil’s thoughts above are describing.  It’s here below – Celebrate the temporary.

And in case some of you might be intrigued by the larger context of what I’m getting at; the longer, full bonus sermon is here: