In Tim Keller’s book The Prodigal Prophet he makes the point that there are two ways we run from God: through outright rebellion and through piety designed to position God in our debt. In today’s podcast, our readings are focused on the shadowy kind of obedience designed to give us the “upper hand” so we can say “You can’t ask that of me, God, because here’s a list of things that I did right. You owe ME.” It’s en embarrassing and uncomfortable look at the tendency we have to attempt manipulating the Lord, and it was a humbling episode to record. But it also left me loving Him all the more because, despite my foolishness, He still delights in me, even when I can’t understand why.
