God, Design, Death and Life

Psalm 95:1-6

O come, let us sing for joy to the LORD,

           Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.

  Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving,

           Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.

  For the LORD is a great God

           And a great King above all gods,

  In whose hand are the depths of the earth,

           The peaks of the mountains are His also.

  The sea is His, for it was He who made it,

           And His hands formed the dry land.

  Come, let us worship and bow down,

           Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

I can’t help but consider the stark contrast of life that is before us.  With the aid of media, over the last few days, we are engaged in observations that should cause us to stop and consider.

  
Warren Wiersbe (1929-2019): The celebration of a long life of integrity, humble recognition/submission to Scripture, multiple generations impacted for the glory of God.  His impact is clearly understood and it is good.

Rachel Held Evans (1981-2019): The consternation of a relatively short life of confusion, clearly intelligent, but displaying pride in approaching God’s Word, nearly a decade of basically attacking Biblical Christian orthodoxy.  Likely a nice woman and desired to be a good Mom and wife, but seemed to fight God in an effort to define Him on her terms.

Mr. Wiersbe’s imprint on many is unique to Warren; a godly man, a qualified elder, a Dad, a Grandfather. I did not know Mr. Wiersbe personally. But my observation: It's clear Warren modeled what a man is to be in his family, his church, in our culture. No woman could or does garner the specific kind of response that he did. Why? Because his impact is different.  It’s by design. It is not better, but it is specific. Warren's stature would not put him in the category of macho. But, we long for and embrace masculine, committed intelligence such as his life displayed. He was, by common standards, a winsome man. Unsurprisingly, Warren’s life elicits few hashtags or drama.  I have not read any disruptiveness caused by his life of godliness. No need to offer help with communicating the appropriate response. Simple offers of gratitude and glory to God. Why? Because character trumps controversy.

Rachel’s tragically sad, untimely death is wrought with consternation and uncertainty as to the proper response.  Ironically, much of the proper, instinctive sorrow is toward a mother, her widower husband and their young children.  I find it fascinating that, even in all the rancor and posturing mankind will do, we all intuitively realize the role of a mother is uniquely designed by God and within the glory of that design is the natural desire to now somehow protect the perception of Rachel and specifically mourn for the children who will grow up without their natural mother. The very writing about her by a man, elicits concern for many.  But why? Because women are to be treated differently; appropriately so. Much is commented about the kids, but little about her husband Dan. Why? Because our intuitive response to address the role of the mother and wife is real. Despite her controversy, Rachel was still a woman. If the roles were reversed, Dan would not be garnering this same confusion of sadness. We know Dan cannot just step into a position that is impossible to replace and we understand this reality to be normal. Why impossible? Because God designed it that way.  Men cannot fill the role of a woman, a mother and a “helpmate suitable” for his family. And no woman can step in and fill a man’s position intentionally or out of need from a tragic vacancy. In fact, this is why the Bible is explicit in the Church's responsibility to step into the widow situation. No matter the incredible efforts being made by both the liberal, secular feminists or the evangelical “empowered women” movement; when the battle is over, swords and shields are laid down. We all instinctively know that the mother of a child, and all that goes with it, is a massively, intentionally designed dynamic that only a woman can do. And the authoritative, fighting, laboring, protecting, leading, forging ahead is the job of men. Accordingly, women cannot play this unique position of man.

Look at the media’s current, giddy display of Prince Harry’s response to seeing his flesh and blood born; his DNA, alive, created.  The world stands in celebration of a woman who is now known primarily for her marriage, displaying her natural, beautiful, powerful ability in producing a child. A most amazing miracle, reserved for women.  Harry cannot ever be a Mom, nor could he even act like one and be welcomed or certainly ever crowned the Queen. The Queen of England is an iconic, seemingly traditional woman, who has served with grace and dignity.  But all the world is eager to identify with who is the next possible King. The celebration is announcing, in full display, that the birth of a new generation is a uniquely amazing design. Humans cannot change that. One of the great antidotes for sorrow is new life. Nearly every human is in awe when in the presence of a newborn child, seeing the image of God amazingly displayed through the joining of a man and woman is profound. Even those who do not recognize Him as God display His design. 

Psalm 86:10 
For you are great and do wondrous deeds, 
You alone are God

In this one week, the glory of God and much of His design is on full display for our consideration.  Can we stop and simply recognize the beauty, seriousness and reality of God’s design laid out for us in God’s Word.  His wisdom. His power. That the great Creator God continues to display His glory through pain and joy. Through all the world, God is in control. The past week alone has offered tremendous definition without need of great explanation.