U2 devotionals #10: naked and ashamed: still small voice in a Peruvian bathroom

(all fall down) how to navigate
(all fall down) how to simply be
(all fall down) to know when to wait
(all fall down) this plain simplicity
(all fall down) in Whom shall i trust
(all fall down) how might i be still
(all fall down) teach me to surrender
(all fall down) not my will, Thy will
-Bono and Danel Lanois, "Falling at Your Feet"

 I don't remember praying this song  (kind of a midrash on Phillipians 2:5-11) as I stood there shivering;
naked and ashamed
in the bathroeom of the bed-and-breakfast in Lima, Peru.

But for some reason, when I remember this episode, the outro of the song (posted abovea) seems to soundtrack it.

Sometimes it feels like I must have been playing the song.

But that's impossible.
I didn't even have my phone at hand (let alone a computer or stereo).

I wished to God that I did.  It might have been my only hope of getting out without getting arrested.

It had been quite an experience  getting to Lima this time.
Unlike the previous year, there was no "she's breaking up, she's breaking up" turbulence from hell on the plane from Dallas (read that story:"Not only was that turbulence not normal, it was 100 times worse than I knew was possible..")
).
No, this time, there was an hours-long delay..in the plane, on the Dallas runway, due to a thunderstorm that suddenly hit.  I think they even gave us a snack to keep us from getting too restless.

But that was nothing compared to what we heard as the plane started its descent into what we all naturally assumed was Lima, the plane's destination.

The announcement of course came in both Spanish and English .

When I heard it is Spanish, I was sure my tired mind had misheard.

But the English came through loud and clear:

"Ladies and gentlemen, our flight was so delayed that the Lima airport  is  closed for the night.
So we are landing is Cuzco to refuel,  and will get you to Lima as soon as possible."

First of all, the international airport of a large city closed for the night?
That seemed fishy.

But indeed we landed, and remained on the plane, in Cuzco...where he had brunch and a movie.

The airport was so small there, and definitely not open.

If the passengers had all been North Americans, there probably would have been a riot.
But Latin graciousness and patience prevailed, and the exhausted travellers made their best of it.

Suffice to say I was tired when Ken Metz picked me up in Lima something like sven hours later than scheduled.

And by the time we got to the bed-and-breakfast, even though I took the time to meet Jeff and Brenda in the kitchen, I agreed with Ken that I should get some rest in the room.  He promised they would leave me  alone untile they heard from me.

Soon I feared those words.

I couldn't sleep, so I figured I'd take  a shower, and head downstairs to see what the gang was doing.


I got out of the shower, and noticed the bathroom door had swung shut.

And no matter how hard I tried, I could not pry it open.

I assumed it was just temporarily waterlogged, so I waited a few minutes,

It wouldn't budge.

I could always pry the hinges off..

If they weren't on the others side of the door!

I reached for my phone, to call Ken....and found that for the first time maybe ever, I didn't have my phone in the bathroom.

I reached for my clothes, ....and found that for the first time maybe ever, I didn't have my clothes in the bathroom.

The door was still not moving.

I glanced up at the window, where at least I could call for help...or climb out...in a  towel!

The window was far too small to climb out (thank God), and no one was around in the alley (blame; I mean thank God.)

It was then i remembered Ken's kindly promise to leave me alone forever!

(all fall down) how might i be still

I still don't remember how long it took; it felt like hours, and might have even been one, before I tried the door one last time and it opened Houdini-style.

But somehow, and sovereignly, I was given grace in that interim stretch of time to not freak out; but to trust that I had received teh gift of an unscheduled peaceful moment; a quiet time, if you will.

(all fall down) how to navigate
(all fall down) how to simply be
(all fall down) to know when to wait
(all fall down) this plain simplicity
(all fall down) in Whom shall i trust
(all fall down) how might i be still
(all fall down) teach me to surrender
(all fall down) not my will, Thy will

And there in my towel, I fell down at Jesus' feet and trusted.

Perhaps I was being prepared for the mountaintop experience of a few days later.
(see Video and Write-Up: Reversing the Curse in Peru_)
Or for what Iwoud learn the day after that ( se the moving video:Pastors don't always tell congregation their needs)



It was time to wait (:

I think I even heard some female voices in the alley, but  counterintuitively decided I wouldn't yell them down to recruit help.   After all, I hadn't finished my devotions.

Such is often the story of my life: boxed in; trapped...naked and alone with no resources.

In a prison of my own making.

You see, the reason the door had slammed shut is this:

While in the shower, I heard a voice in the hallway outside the door, and maybe even heard a knock.
I was a bit embarrassed about being in the shower; and I didn't want anyone to hear me, so I reached out and pushed the door closed.

Thus does my shame operate: it closes doors that are my salvation.

But:

Every chip from every cup
Every promise given up
Every reason that's not enough
Is falling, falling at Your feet

Every band elastic limit
Every race when there's nothing in it
Every winner that's lost a ticket
Is falling, falling at Your feet
I've come crawling, falling at your feet

Every one who needs a friend
Every life that has no end
Every knee not ready to bend
Is falling, falling at your feet
I've come crawling, now I'm falling at Your feet

All fall down
All the manic days, faces that pull
All fall down
All the x-rays not under your control
All fall down
The grafitt rolling off your tongue
All fall down
And the compromise you make for someone

Falling at Your Feet










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