He Kneels to Wash our Feet
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Psalm 51
1. Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy steadfast love; according to thy abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in thy sight, so that thou art justified in thy sentence and blameless in thy judgment. 5. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. 7. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8. Fill me with joy and gladness; let the bones which thou hast broken rejoice. 9. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. 10. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. 11. Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy holy Spirit from me. 12. Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. 13. Then I will teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners will return to thee. 14. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of thy deliverance. 15. O Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. 16. For thou hast no delight in sacrifice; were I to give a burnt offering, thou wouldst not be pleased. 17. The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. 18. Do good to Zion in thy good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, 19. then wilt thou delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on thy altar.
I awoke this morning with the word “broken” on my heart. Actually, I thought of it last night as I lay awake, trying to figure out “who I am” and what God intends for me to do. I know that may sound a bit grand and “big” for one such as me. But for the first time in months, I had a beautiful afternoon on my deck – and you may recall from postings last summer, how that deck impacts my spirit!
Earlier in the week, I read our church newsletter with the usual letter from our pastor on the cover and I just lost my breath! He talked about Easter of course, and the Passion. This writing, though, hit me square between the eyes in revealing how small we think. How small a box in which we try to contain God. How insignificantly we view ourselves and our Creator! His comment was “On Maundy Thursday we witness a God who, in his son Jesus, falls upon his knees to wash his disciple’s feet.” Well, most of us know the story of the “Last Supper.” I will readily admit, however, that though I truly and absolutely, without question, believe in and worship the Triune God, I never thought of GOD washing the disciples’ feet! God stooped down on his knees. For me. And for you. He bent down from heaven and took up a towel. He became earthbound in those moments – in that act. He drew us to Himself so tightly in that upper room, that the world has never been the same! Missionaries risk their lives still today to spread the news of a God who loves that much. Humble, spirit-filled men and women (and their families) travel the earth, unable to contain their utter joy and deep gratitude at being loved so much by a God who transcends time, and space, and life itself.
I run around so often, thinking I’m “thinking so big” in how I hope to impact this world! And then I read a sentence like this, and I realize I’m so small. My mind is so small. My heart is so small. My life is so small. My world is so small. But my God is so very big! Bigger than I could ever imagine or explain or understand! In making Him small, I attempt to embrace His essence. I am ever grateful He is big enough not to be contained!
I hope today you will allow yourself to be embraced and enfolded by the God who stoops from heaven to meet your every need. And that you will wash the feet of everyone you meet.
Mary
