Ensign: The Best World

All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye. Isaiah 18:3


AN ENSIGN ON THE MOUNTAINS                                        29 April 2016


This month I'm rereading Candide.


I make it a point to reread Voltaire's 1759 novel (or novella, depending how snooty you are about length) every year, or when I get especially proud of what human beings do and are capable of. I'm writing that sentence right now and you'd think as a Christian I would go to the Bible for that. I do, but we live in a world that is not necessarily governed by reason, or at least when it is it's horribly misapplied.

The best of all possible worlds.

It's a phrase you see a lot in Candide, and Voltaire wrote this story refuting such a belief -- that is, that we live in the best of all possible worlds -- in light of all the bad things that happen to good people. Despite the title character (whose name rhymes with "indeed") attempting to hold onto this belief in light of being kicked out of his home, whipped nigh senseless twice, nearly burned at the stake, traversing the Atlantic, gaining a fortune, losing a fortune ... welcome to life.

If this is the best of possible worlds, what then are the others?


Once we did have the best world, the world that God originally created and that He deposited Adam in the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it -- KJV speak for take care of it. The second chapter of Genesis shows that nothing God creates, none of us God has created, are left with nothing to do. But as you keep reading (and I expect you know the story) about God creating the first woman out of Adam's rib, disobeying God, and then having to leave the garden -- and the best world -- behind.


And the world has gotten worse.


You don't need me to tell you that. But no matter how bad to us the world appears and is, no matter how bad we are, we are promised - we who overcome by being less of ourselves and more of our Creator are promised -- by God Himself a return to that garden, that fellowship the human race once had with Him. It's a placement thing; we'd HAVE to be in the garden "to eat of the tree of life" as we read in the letter to Ephesus in the second chapter of Revelation.


It's Revelation. Singular.


And at the points throughout the Word of God where you and I think it's crazy to believe this (there are quite a lot of points throughout it, I know), we don't have to. We have to believe that our Creator, our God is Who's in charge and ultimately promises when you and I come to Him through His Son Jesus the Christ ... we have to believe He means what He says. You and I have control over that, the one thing in our lives God nor anyone else can override.


Now let us cultivate our garden,

David

P.S. I write this weekly devotional to keep in touch with you, and I hope to be an encourager too! If I'm not or you want me to get lost, please let me know -- thank you!

Thank You, Lord, that we can come to you in prayer and that we can count on You to provide for all our needs, even when we don't know what those needs are. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem on both sides of the fence and all over the world.


Thank You, Lord, for everyone in leadership and service, both here and abroad. Thank You for the opportunities we have and the promise of new life through You. And I pray that we all seek and have a blessed week! Amen.