Micah - Who is Like the Lord? - Pt 6

 

In that day, declares the LORD, I will assemble the lame and gather those who have been driven away and those whom I have afflicted; and the lame I will make the remnant, and those who were cast off, a strong nation; and the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion from this time forth and forevermore. And you, O tower of the flock, hill of the daughter of Zion, to you shall it come, the former dominion shall come, kingship for the daughter of Jerusalem. (Micah 4:6–8 ESV).

 

While the illustration of “A Dog Named Lucky” is unknown, it was first popularized by Johnny Carson in one of his segments as host of the Tonight Show. I’ve used it many times and find it an apt description of God’s great grace. The story goes that a person loses a pet and puts a lost-dog ad in the local newspaper. The description reads: “Lost dog. Brown fur, with large patches missing due to mange. Blind in one eye. Deaf. Lame leg from a recent traffic accident. Slightly arthritic. Goes by the name of ‘Lucky’" An observer reads the ad and wonders why anyone would call such a broken, battered, and suffering animal "Lucky". But the point of the story is that the dog isn't lucky because of his physical condition or circumstances—he is lucky because he has an owner who desperately loves him and wants him back, despite all his flaws. That is the picture of God promising to redeem His people in our reading today.

 

Our lives often encounter significant struggles. I am well aware of how difficult life can be. There is never a time when I am talking with someone in the setting of pastoral care and counseling that I am asked, “Don, please help me stay the way I am.” Some of the stories related to me are raw and gut-wrenching depicting getting run over and coming out with a broken leg! Others stories are just as painful, slowly simmering with job insecurity, fracturing of families, and loneliness. The constant, daily battle with addiction. The ever-present struggle with sin that so easily entangles us.

 

Micah proclaims hope in the midst of struggle. There will be struggles, but no matter how great the opposition, no matter how long the struggle, God will bring his people to wholeness and blessing. They will go into exile, but in the very place of their trial, there they will experience deliverance. There you will be rescued. There the Lord will redeem you from the hand of your enemies. The promise of God is his love and faithfulness both at the end of all things and here and now. In the struggle, there you will be rescued. In the pain, there the Lord will redeem you from the hand of your enemies.

 

Through the proclamation of the prophet Micah, God promises hope. It is a hope that comes from seeing a glimpse of that great and glorious day when Christ returns and the kingdom will come in its fullness. It is a hope that should set our hearts on fire in longing for the day of full redemption. But Micah also proclaims hope in the struggle. Hope here and now. Hope that not only our eternal destiny, but the whole of our lives are in the gracious hands of God. We are indeed “Lucky”!