POST #2
About a year after I read Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Life Together, I was no longer in graduate studies at University of Maryland. TURNING YOUR FAITH LOOSE fell onto my desk at work, tossed by a colleague.
"Try this," she said, and I did. The cover made me curious: a photo of a huge chain broken in two...freedom.
I took the little book out to lunch. No preaching, to my relief. Part of one page stood out:
Fear not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God.
I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee;
Yea, I will uphold thee with my righteous right hand.
--Isaiah 41:10
--Isaiah 41:10
I stared at the words, and later copied them. Days later, I was analyzing and memorizing them. They were in mind always, pondered and turned in every direction possible...Beyond human strength, human help, human holding up...
Soon after, I had a job interview in Richmond, VA. On a bright autumn day, I stood outside the interview building. The streets in view were quiet. I whispered toward the blue heavens:
O God, I will not be afraid, for you are with me;
I will not be confused, for you are my God.
Strengthen me; yes, help me;
yes, hold me up with your righteous right arm.
The words of Isaiah 41:10 had sprung to mind, then became a prayer to God, whom I hoped was there.
