God with us - Week 41: Psalm 18:30
P.L. Travers, the author of the Mary Poppins series, was a notorious perfectionist. The film ‘Saving Mr. Banks’ catalogues the frustrating journey that took Mary Poppins from page to screen. The author’s nitpicking and perfectionism drove the usually cheerful Walt Disney to distraction. Even after the film premiered, Pamela Travers was still giving pointers about possible improvements. It’s no surprise then that her main character was described as ‘practically perfect in every way.’ When Emily Blunt brought Mary Poppins into the 21st century, that perfection was brought into question. Some people began to look at Mary Poppins differently. While most of us took the film with the spoonful of sugar intended, others questioned the way Mary Poppins dealt with the Banks household! She performed magic and then, when other adults were around, acted as if the children had imagined it. She confused the family with mysterious goings on and then pushed forward her own agenda…allegedly! One article commended Julie Andrews for managing to make the original Mary Poppins likeable at all given her extensive character flaws. For P.L Travers, Mary Poppins was practically perfect, but a 21st-century audience started to view her in a different light.
Don’t worry, I’m not going to leap from Mary Poppins to our perfect Heavenly Father who comes down from the sky to sort out all our problems…that’s not where this is going. However, it did make me think about what we perceive perfection to be.
Perfect - having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics, as good as it is possible to be.
Mary Poppins was the P.L Traver’s version of ‘practically perfect’ brought to life and yet to others her creation falls far from perfection. Our experiences colour how we view the actions of others, their motives and whether their qualities and characteristics are as good as they could possibly be. If we’re honest, the same applies to our perspective on God’s goodness and His ‘perfection.’
Our verse for this week is Psalm 18:30.
God’s way is perfect.
All the Lord’s promises prove true.
He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.
Psalm 18:30 (NLT)
David wrote these words when God had delivered him from the hands of King Saul. With victory filling his mind, he was able to praise God’s perfection, and yet we only have to turn to another Psalm to discover his frustration at God’s lack of action. In lament, he struggles to see God’s perfect ways and calls for Him to turn up and do something, spit spot!
Frustration grows when God does not respond in the perfect way we feel he should, so we turn to others instead. There is no human whose ways are perfect, whose promises consistently prove true and yet we continue our search. No matter how much we put our faith in others, no human can act as a shield for us and protect us from all we will face in this world. ‘Practically perfect’ fictional creations fall short of our ideal, but despite our earthly perspective, Scripture assures us that “God’s way is perfect.” In times of difficulty, like we are experiencing now, we question the perfection of God’s ways, viewing it through the lens of frustration. Maybe now is the time to focus on the faithful promises of God, no matter which way the wind blows.
Yahweh, what a perfect God you are!
All Yahweh’s promises have proven true.
What a secure shelter for all those
who turn to hide themselves in you,
the wraparound God.
Psalm 18:30 (TPT)
Kay Moorby
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