Preventive restraint

God's purpose throughout our entire spiritual career is to produce in us an attitude of complete surrender, of absolute yield to His will; breaking down and training ourselves until only the ingrained instinct to submit to the least pressure of the divine Spirit remains in us.

I call this "preventive restraint." It is a fundamental attitude that governs all aspects and actions of our life, an unconscious disposition to obey God in any situation, no matter how strong the temptation to go in another direction. In that pliable and humble posture of the believer there is infinite security and inviolable protection.

It is that attitude of unconditional surrender to God's will — a lowering of self and human will that leads to a deep sense of security — that David expresses in Psalm 131:

1 Lord, my heart is not puffed up, neither is my eyes lifted up; I did not walk in greatness, Nor in things too sublime for me.

2 Truly I have behaved and silenced my soul like a child weaned from its mother; Like a weaned child is my soul.

3 Wait, O Israel, in Jehovah, from now on and forevermore.

The psalmist has humbled himself before Jehovah. Recognize the limits of your intelligence. Accept your limitations as you explore life's mysteries and big decisions. He conceives of himself as a fragile baby, totally dependent on his mother's protection. In that total fragility, however, there is absolute trust. The psalmist has "silenced" his soul, calmed the voices of anguish and doubt, and completely entrusted himself to his mother's covering. And to that same surrender and submission he calls Israel: "Wait, O Israel, in Jehovah, from now on and forever."

WILLFUL DISOBEDENCE

As I write these lines I am thinking of a young woman whom I have known for years. We will call her Diana. He comes from a family battered by life, haunted by addictions and failures. She is attractive, intelligent and motivated, the only one of her siblings who has managed to escape vice and bad ways. He has managed to educate himself and has a good job. A few years ago he came to my church and gave his life to the Lord. He was doing very well, growing and prospering spiritually, experiencing great joy on his spiritual journey. Until a man came into her life. He was not a believer, nor was he interested in the things of God. But she filled that emotional void that was in her, that physical need to feel accompanied, validated as a woman. The presence of a man gave a new texture to her life. It allowed him to express dimensions of his personality that would otherwise remain repressed. Diana chose to leave the church to pursue her own path, to fulfill her foolish romantic dream in her own way. For years, I didn't hear from her until recently, when she returned to church, admitting she was wrong, with two fatherless children as a result of that disobedient relationship.

Upon her return, Diana enthusiastically re-embarked on her spiritual journey. He began taking discipleship classes, and soon became a valuable resource for church leadership. He began to be actively involved in other aspects of the life of the congregation, and to contribute positively with his many talents and considerable energy. Everything indicated that Diana had learned her lesson, and that she had finally stabilized in her spiritual posture. He was brimming with enthusiasm and commitment. Contemplating his reintegration into Christian life, we all rejoiced at his evident progress. In a church like ours, in which the spiritual transformation of the believer is continually emphasized, Diana seemed a perfect embodiment of our values of repentance, service, and total surrender to the Lord. The spiritual future for her looked bright and promising. Until a man came into her life.

A few months after her second arrival, Diana met another man. This time, it was a person in dire need, and a troubled past. But he was a man, and he represented an available partner, a sexual resource, a convenient and accessible way of solving a pressing affective need. A short time later, the promising spiritual edifice under construction collapsed. Diana moved in with her new partner, abandoned all her church commitments, and refused to accept the pastoral advice we tried to provide for her. His response to the pastoral admonition was very meek, but firm. He knew that his behavior was contrary to Christian principles, but that was the decision he had made.

Very lucidly, knowing that she was in disobedience, and consciously ignoring the painful lessons of the past, Diana once again entered the desert of rebellion and stubborn disobedience. His compulsive need, and the promise of an easy and pleasant affective gain, were too powerful to be overcome by the clamor of the principles of the Word. Needless to say, if God's mercy does not overwhelmingly intervene, Diana's failure this time will be far more painful than the previous time.

Only the many afflictions, and the persistent discipline of God, will be able to instill in people like Diana that all-encompassing posture of subjection that the psalmist manifests in Psalm 131. This type of person often reaches an attitude of true surrender only after many failures and defeats, at the end of a series of painful experiences and disappointments that break the self and mold the will until finally leaving it subject and obedient to the principles of the word of God. Unfortunately, the cost of that long-term learning process is tragically high — children born out of wedlock, with their own hurts and insecurities that they will eventually have to process; physical illnesses and emotional deformations contracted during those periods of pleasant but dangerous experimentation; spiritual oppressions resulting from implicit dealings made with the forces of darkness.

It is that human reality that fills the seats of our congregations every Sunday, the residue of sin that continually challenges pastoral care in our churches. The only preventive medicine for that cluster of ills? The obedience! Solomon's wise advice (which, sadly, he himself ended up disobeying) guides us in this regard (Pr 3: 1, 2, 5-8):

1 My son, do not forget my law, And your heart keep my commandments;

2 For length of days and years of life And peace will increase you.

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding.

6 In all your ways acknowledge him, And he will make your paths straight.

7 Don't be wise in your own opinion; Fear the Lord, and turn away from evil;

8 For it will be medicine for your body, and food for your bones.