A Cord of Three Strands

Last night, I was reading through some old prayer journals of mine when I found a piece of notebook paper, folded over, and pushed between the pages. After unfolding it, I realized that it wasn’t my handwriting (it was readable) but my past roommate’s instead.

As I read it, I noticed it was a song. At first, I thought that maybe she had copied it down from somewhere because she had liked it, but the more I read it, the more I started to think that she had written it herself. And after reading it again this morning, I am almost sure that she did write it.

The title, “A Cord of Three Strands.”

It’s funny to me how the things you need are always there when you need them. Always. They may be small; they may be pushed into a corner or folded over in the creases of old journals, but they are there. It isn’t finding them that’s hard, it’s recognizing them once you’ve found them. I think God sends us little messages, and letters, and words all of the time, but I guess we miss them because we aren’t looking or listening. The same roommate who wrote the song used to say, “Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.” Basically, there is no such thing as coincidence, only divine planning. I don’t think it was coincidence that I found her song.

For those of you who don’t know, a cord of three strands is the metaphor for a Godly relationship.

“And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken” Ecclesiastes 4:12.

Now, “relationship” can be that between friends, or family, or a loved one. A double stranded cord would be the relationship between you and the other person, and the third cord is God intertwining Himself into both of your lives simultaneously, holding you together.

The world says, “two is better than one,” but the bible says, “three is better than two.”

Now, some time before finding my roommate’s song, I read a quote that I had also written in an old prayer journal, and it spoke to me loud and clear.

“Don’t call on God when worshiping other idols. What good can God do if you’re not following his commandments?” Jeremiah 11

I have no idea where that quote came from, but I went back and read Jeremiah 11, and it’s a pretty good summary of the chapter, and overall it’s true. If we’re worshiping idols, how can we worship God? And better yet, how can we call on God with our mouths without calling on Him with our hearts? We can’t. God knows our hearts, and if they aren’t after Him, there’s nothing He can do: He can’t lead if we aren’t willing to follow.

Right after reading the quote in my journal, I realized that my idol is relationships. I am always putting my relationships with friends and family before my relationship with God. I’m single, and I still put thoughts of boys before God sometimes (didn’t even think that was possible). The point is, I too often run to friends, seek advice from friends, and then have a five minute, “oh and God, help. Love Martha Lee Anne,” prayer before I go to bed. But if my heart isn’t in the right place, what good can God do?

A two cord strand is liable to break. It’s liable to fail. It’s liable to let us down, hard. We can’t put our worries, and hopes, and dreams into other people with the assurance that those worries won’t become real, and our hopes won’t be broken, and our dreams won’t become elusive.

I’m not saying relationships aren’t gifts from God, because they are, but shouldn’t God be present if He gave them? Shouldn’t there be a tag somewhere that reminds us who gave the gift? And at the end of the day, shouldn’t God get the most Glory? Shouldn’t He get the biggest space in our hearts?

A cord of three strands doesn’t omit relationships, and it doesn’t omit God. God gives us relationships in friends and family and in significant others as blessings, not as “alright, you have them now so you don’t need me.” We will always need human relationships, but we’ll always need a Godly relationship as well, and I guess I’ve just had a hard time finding a good balance between the two, but clearly the Lord is speaking to me on the subject, and for that I am very thankful.