December 12: An Invitation to Trust
♫ Music:
Day 10 - Tuesday, December 12
Title: AN INVITATION TO TRUST
Scripture #1: Isaiah 43:1–3a (NKJV)
But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
Scripture #2: Isaiah 26:3–4 (NKJV)
You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.
Poetry & Poet:
“Trust in God and Do the Right”
by Norman Macleod
Courage, brother! do not stumble,
Though thy path is dark as night;
There's a star to guide the humble—
Trust in God and do the right.
Let the road be long and dreary,
And its ending out of sight;
Foot it bravely—strong or weary—
Trust in God and do the right.
Perish policy and cunning,
Perish all that fears the light;
Whether losing, whether winning,
Trust in God and do the right.
Trust no party, church, or faction,
Trust no leader in the fight;
But in every word and action
Trust in God and do the right.
Trust no forms of guilty passion—
Friends can look like angels bright;
Trust no custom, school, or fashion—
Trust in God and do the right.
Some will hate thee, some will love thee;
Some will flatter, some will slight;
Cease from man and look above thee—
Trust in God and do the right.
Firmest rule, and safest guiding,
Inward peace and inward light;
Star upon our path abiding—
Trust in God and do the right.
ELEMENTAL
We might miss the impact of Bill Viola’s The Crossing by just looking at the pictures provided here. It is a floor-to-ceiling video installation at the Guggenheim Museum in New York that has a large two-sided screen onto which the fire and water video sequences are simultaneously projected with an audio presentation that allows for contemplation. The eleven-minute videos are similar as a man walks into the light, pauses for a bit, and then a small fire starts to burn at his feet on one side while a trickle of rain falls on his head on the other. The fire slowly develops and then envelopes the man in flames; the water steadily grows into a torrent and engulfs him. When the elements on both sides overwhelm, we lose sight of the man, and as the elements retreat, we realize that the man has disappeared, leaving an empty, silent scene.
What a fitting image of trust. So much of our lives is an invitation to trust God and do the right. Many of our lives are filled with trials and difficulties, and Western Christianity tends to champion comfort and blessing as the ultimate ends of our faith. It is easy to buy into this because God does promise those things to his people, but it means we must walk through the fire or flood, and not simply avoid it. Transformation through the fires and floods of our lives overtakes us and that is scary; it is hard to lose control and our sense of self.
But that is why fear not is our invitation today, just as it is the most repeated command throughout Scripture. It is about placing our faith in the Person who allows the fires and floods because his Presence will be with us. It is also about trusting the Process especially when we are overcome. The fires burn away and the floods wash away more than we think is necessary, but Perfect Love drives out fear (1 John 4:18).
What we fear most tends to be where we trust God least. But remember, our call isn’t to simply overcome fears in our own strength, but to recognize that God is our stronghold (Psalm 27:1) and to lean on his grace (2 Cor 12:9). We don’t clean up our fears to come to God, but we come to God with our fears because they matter to God. They are invitations into deeper faith.
What fear might you be holding onto today? Where might God be asking you to deeper faith?
Prayer
Lord, I confess that I often allow fear to consume me, and that I operate out of a spirit of timidity. I am a (fill in the blank; some examples might be – people pleaser, lover of money, person scared of vulnerability, person who fears not being good enough, person who fears being left out or abandoned, etc.). Help me trust you in the fires and floods of my life. I long for your perfect love, and the courage of your presence. Thank you for sustaining me each day by your unconditional love.
In the name of Jesus who casts out all fear,
Amen.
Mike Ahn
Assistant Dean of Chapels & Worship
Host of The Biola Hour
Biola University
For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
About the Art:
The Crossing
Bill Viola
1996
Stills from video installation
Guggenheim Museum
New York, New York
c. Bill Viola
Bill Viola’s The Crossing is a room-sized video installation that comprises a large two-sided screen onto which a pair of video sequences is simultaneously projected. They each open in the same fashion: a male figure walks slowly towards the camera, his body dramatically lit from above so that it appears to glow against the video’s stark-black background. After several minutes he pauses near the foreground and stands still. He faces forward, staring directly into the lens, motionless. At this point the two scenes diverge––in one, a small fire alights below the figure’s feet. It spreads over his legs and torso and eventually engulfs his whole body in flames; yet, he stands calm and completely still as his body is immolated. On the opposite screen, the event transpires not with fire but with water. Beginning as a light rainfall, the sporadic drops that shower the figure build up to a surging cascade of water until it subsumes him entirely. Throughout both narratives, the elemental forces of fire and water often symbolize change, redemption, transformation, and renewal—common themes in Viola’s oeuvre.
––adapted from an essay by Dr. Allison Young
https://smarthistory.org/bill-viola-the-crossing/
About the Artist:
Bill Viola (b. 1951) is a contemporary video artist whose artistic expression derives from the image technology found in new media. He has been instrumental in the establishment of video as a vital form of contemporary art and, in doing so, has helped to greatly expand its scope in terms of technology, content, and historical reach. For forty years he has created videotapes, architectural video installations, sound environments, electronic music performances, flat panel video pieces, and works for television broadcast. His work focuses on the ideas behind fundamental central themes of human consciousness and experience—birth, death, love, emotion, and spirituality. Throughout his career he has drawn meaning and inspiration from his deep interest in the mystical traditions of Zen Buddhism, Christian mysticism, and Islamic Sufism, evident in the transcendental quality of his work. The subject matter and manner of Western medieval and Renaissance devotional art have equally informed his aesthetic. Viola's work often exhibits a painterly quality while his use of ultra-slow-motion video encourages the viewer to contemplate the imagery and connect deeply to the inherent themes and meanings. An ongoing theme that Viola explores is dualism, the idea that comprehension of a subject is impossible unless its opposite is known.
http://www.billviola.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Viola
About the Music:
“It Is Well with My Soul” from the album The World’s Greatest Hymns #2
Lyrics:
When peace like a river attendeth my way.
When sorrows like sea billows roll.
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
It is well (it is well), with my soul (with my soul),
It is well, it is well with my soul.
My sin, oh the joy of this glorious thought
My sin, not in part, but the whole
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul
It is well (it is well) with my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight.
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll.
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend.
Even so, it is well with my soul.
It is well (it is well), with my soul (with my soul).
It is well, it is well with my soul.
About the Composers:
Hymnist Horatio Spafford and musical composer Philip Bliss
"It Is Well with My Soul" is a hymn penned by hymnist Horatio Spafford and composed by Philip Bliss. It was first published in Gospel Hymns No. 2 by Ira Sankey and Bliss (1876). This hymn was written after traumatic events in Spafford's life. The first two were the death of his four-year-old son and the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which ruined him financially. His business interests were further hit by the economic downturn of 1873, at which time he had planned to travel to England with his family on the SS Ville du Havre, to help with D. L. Moody's upcoming evangelistic campaigns. In a late change of plans, Spafford sent his family ahead while he was delayed on business concerning zoning problems following the Great Chicago Fire. While crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the ship sank rapidly after a collision with another sea vessel, and all four of Spafford's daughters perished. His wife, Anna, survived and sent him the now famous telegram, "Saved alone…" Shortly afterwards, as Spafford traveled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write these words as his ship passed near where his daughters had died. Bliss called his tune “Ville du Havre,” from the name of the stricken vessel.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Is_Well_with_My_Soul
About the Performers:
The Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church Choir
Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church is an Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Knoxville.
https://cspc.net/ministries/worship/
About the Poetry and Poet:
Norman Macleod (1906–1985) was an American poet, editor, and novelist. Macleod earned a B.A. from the University of New Mexico and an M.A. from Columbia University. An editor at various magazines and journals, including Pembroke Magazine, Macleod was instrumental in establishing the Poetry Center at the 92nd Street Y in New York City. He taught at numerous institutions, including San Francisco State College, the University of Baghdad in Iraq, and Pembroke State University. In 1973, Macleod was awarded the Horace Gregory Award for his work as a poet, an editor, and a teacher. His collections of poetry include Horizons of Death (1934); Thanksgiving Before November (1936); We Thank You All the Time (1941); A Man in Midpassage (1947); Pure as Nowhere (1962); Selected Poems (1975); and The Distance: New and Selected Poems, 1928–1977 (1977). He also wrote the novels You Get What You Ask For (1939) and The Bitter Roots (1941) and the autobiography I Never Lost Anything in Istanbul (1978).
About the Devotion Author:
Dr. Mike Ahn
Assistant Dean of Chapels & Worship
Host of The Biola Hour
Biola University
Mike Ahn oversees chapel programs, worship teams, the annual Biola Torrey Conference, The Biola Hour podcast, and serves on the pastoral care team. He is a graduate of Haverford College (B.A., History, ’01) and Talbot School of Theology (M.Div., Spiritual Formation, ’09; Ph.D., Educational Studies, ’22). If he could, he would have two In-N-Out cheeseburgers with chopped chilis, animal style fries, and a Pamplemousse LaCroix for every meal.