2 Then the Lord answered me and said: "Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.
3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.
4 "Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.
I am thankful that the Holy Spirit provides direction for our lives. In Isaiah 30, we can read, regarding the Lord's desire to direct His people:
21 Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.
29 You shall have a song As in the night when a holy festival is kept, And gladness of heart as when one goes with a flute, To come into the mountain of the Lord, To the Mighty One of Israel.
30 The Lord will cause His glorious voice to be heard, And show the descent of His arm, With the indignation of His anger And the flame of a devouring fire, With scattering, tempest, and hailstones.
Major League Baseball held an event recently where the production values were amazing, the baseball itself was compelling, and the ratings weren't dreadful. USA Today reported:
On Thursday night, the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox played a game that rivaled Hollywood fairy tales. It was the first official MLB game played in Iowa, in a ballpark built among the Dyersville's corn fields where the iconic 1989 movie "Field of Dreams" was shot.
The game, with its Hollywood ending and its setting within America's heartland, was the most-watched regular season MLB game in 16 years, with 5.9 million viewers across FOX and FOX Deportes. It was also the most streamed regular season baseball game in FOX Sports history. Chicago and New York ranked as the top two markets.
The Chicago White Sox narrowly defeated the New York Yankees 9-8, thanks to a ninth-inning home run that disappeared into the Iowa cornfields. The production values were lauded for their authenticity and captured the feel of the original movie.
So, this past weekend, we watched Field of Dreams at our house. I remembered very little about the film, except for the concept of a middle-aged farm owner hearing a voice telling him to build "it," the "it" being a baseball field on his Iowa farm.
Well, the "it" also turned into a place of redemption - Chicago White Sox players implicated in a scandal in which they were accused of throwing an important game and banned from the game showed up from the pages of history. There was also a burned-out author whom the main character, Ray, tracked down, whose meaning in life had turned into cynicism; plus, you met a doctor from another era who only played in one game in the major leagues, but whose life had meaning off the diamond as a successful, much-beloved doctor, who stepped out of history to help Ray's daughter after an accident.
Even though professional baseball doesn't seem to be enjoying the popularity or respect it once had, it's still a game that means so much to millions of fans and participants. Think about the large crowd in Atlanta last night to watch the Braves square off against the Yankees in a battle of the major leagues' two hottest teams. Witness the local Little League ballfields in your community. I would dare say in most young people's life stories, there is a place for baseball or softball.
So, the "Field of Dreams" and possible rediscovery of the film may have been the escape that people needed in what has become a very discouraging season. It's not a Christian film; it really doesn't address God or faith - there is the casual, yet famous mention of "heaven," but certainly not in an accurate, theological sense. But, there is certainly content that we can consider in the pursuit of our relationship with Christ.
I think one thread is that there is certainly redemption that we can discover in Christ. The movie depicts players who were out of baseball who experienced the thrill of playing again, hope restored to an author who no longer possessed it, and a successful physician who experienced the renewal of a childhood dream, yet understood that if he had stayed in baseball, that he would perhaps not have become that doctor who became legendary in his hometown. God wants to redeem our souls, and to redeem our thinking - we can have renewed hope by embracing His presence and the principles of His Word.
We can also learn how to deal with regret. The main character, Ray Kinsella, had his regrets over his relationship with his father exposed, and in a touching scene at the end, he was able to play catch with him - in the dream world, of course. But, in the real world, relationships don't always work the way they should. We may never recapture the lost pursuits or unfulfilled dreams. But, we know that God is with us in the present, and if we allow ourselves to be fulfilled in Him, He can restore purpose and hope to us.
We can also recognize our reason for living. We have been placed here on this earth for a purpose - we are still here because God isn't finished with us. Knowing Him and fulfilling His call help to reinforce our joy. Even when the trajectory of our life doesn't exactly follow what we may have thought, still we can discern the hand of God leading and empowering us.
And, we can be inspired to follow the Holy Spirit into the realization of God's direction. Ray Kinsella followed a voice that spoke short phrases to Him. We know that God speaks to us in accordance with His Word. We do not have to go through life without direction.
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