Maintenance

 November 18, 2021

In his dedication prayer for the temple that bears his name, Solomon asked for two things. Understanding that they wouldn’t avoid sinning, he asked that when the people did sin and repented, God would,

“Hear from heaven Your dwelling place their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive Your people who have sinned against You.”

—II Chronicles 6:39 

We all need and want forgiveness, but forgiveness alone isn’t enough. We need God to maintain our cause, ie, not allow our sins to destroy whatever good we have accomplished. My sins could easily have destroyed my family, my ministry, my life. I’ve witnessed it happen to others. Linda and I have often marveled at God’s grace to us. We were no smarter or holier than anyone else we know, but God has preserved and blessed us all out of proportion to our faithfulness and talent. 

Any Christian with an ounce of honesty will admit with me how close to the edge they came to crossing over to the Dark side, as the Star Wars saga puts it. Our foolishness, weakness, and just plain perversity would have sunk our ships long ago were it not for God’s incredible forgiveness and maintenance of our cause. He stepped in, not only forgiving, but also preventing much of the fallout from our actions. He preserved our cause. 

My constant prayer is not only for forgiveness, but also that God would preserve and maintain that which I’ve worked hard to build. He has faithfully and graciously done so for 72 years, which is why I’m still here, thanking and praising him for his undeserved goodness to me.