I’ve been doing a lot more walking these days.
I think that’s the case for many of us. It’s one of the few places we can go.
I headed out of the house; ear plugs streaming worship music. The instant the keyboard made a certain sound, I was transported.
It made me wonder whether sounds evoke memories.
It’s been scientifically proven that aromas can trigger memories.
Sometimes, when I smell fresh paint, a moment shared with my dad suddenly comes to mind. (Probably because he was a painter.)
I’m beginning to think that sound can elicit a similar reaction.
When that song hit that pitch, I suddenly remembered the sound made when my dad would drop the keys onto the floorboard of the car.
In a flash, I saw those keys hit that mat.
And I heard it.
That Thump. And Jingle.
Granted, that may date me a bit. Believe it or not, there was a time when you could leave your car unlocked . . . and the keys in it.
My dad would just drop those keys onto that rubber mat. And walk away.
That’s trust.
I want to trust God like that.
I want a faith that can drop the keys—because I know I tend to grip them too tightly.
Now, I know just how hard that is.
We don’t like not having control—especially for an extended period of time.
And we don’t like uncertainty. Certainly for an uncertain amount of time.
But ask yourself: “Do we ever really have control?” Or, “Is any temporal thing certain?”
I know I’ve fooled myself into believing I have control. And that certain things in life are certain.
Unforeseen circumstances have proven I have neither.
But it doesn’t have to rob us of hope . . . or peace.
They come from trust.
And we can trust God. Utterly and completely.
Precisely when things in life become uncertain, we must remember those particular things which are certain—the things of God.
Precedent has been set which can inform our faith.
On one occasion, while [Jesus] was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:4-9).
The Upper Room was filled with Christ-followers.
Their questions were many.
They didn’t know what to expect. What the promise would look like when it came. Or how long they would have to wait.
There was much they didn’t know.
But they knew they could trust their Lord and Father.
They trusted the promises of their Savior.
In great uncertainty, they waited . . . and they prayed.
They surrendered control to their Lord and King.
There is much we can learn from them.
We can learn to drop the keys in the lap of the King.
After 10 days of unknowing and waiting, “suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting” (Acts 2:2).
The Promised Gift, the Holy Spirit, came upon them and enabled them to do what the Lord told them to do.
The Holy Spirit enabled them to endure many trials and hardships. Teaching them the truth of yet another promise: The One who was in them was greater than the one who is in the world (1 John 4:4).
It is not a far-stretch to imagine that trepidation struck within them in their times of waiting—not knowing what to expect when.
Uncertain times cause struggle. And they sometimes cause us to forget about those things of faith that we do not see. So, maybe sounds can help. Maybe they can evoke powerful reminders in us.
When you hear the wind blow, be reminded that you are filled with the Spirit to do God-pleasing things.
And when you hear the songbird’s praise with the waking of the dawn, remember the truth that God cares for the sparrow and faithfully provides.