The LORD, your God, shall you fear;
him shall you serve, and by his name shall you swear."
When Abraham saw the pillar of smoke mushrooming over Sodom and Gomorrah he realized he, his wife, and his entire future with all his descendants had been claimed and would belong for all time to the LORD. He must love, worship, and adore that God. He would fear and serve him, and swear by his name. He would invoke no other god; they did not exist for him.
When the disciples attempted to exorcise a child, they failed. The demon only laughed at them; but it quailed and fled when the Lord spoke. Jesus was the new Abraham; he could command with all the authority of his ancestor and his ancestor's Patron. Mountains would dance at his command.
Faith in God, he insisted, would empower their words. They would and should have authority, if only they believe in him.
Crises test our faith. Something happens and everything we expected and planned is thrown into confusion. Someone dies, an accident or illness, an unexpected expense, a catastrophic loss: suddenly life hurls a curve ball when we expect a slow easy pitch. And we're thrown into confusion.
Some people handle it well. They take care of business, call in support, make arrangements, and move gracefully through the trouble into a new normal. We admire them, and wonder how they do it.
We didn't realize they were practicing faith all along. By their daily prayer and routine sacrifices they anticipated both trouble and God's support. Familiar with the Bible, they know life is full of unexpected surprises. Every problem is a blessing; and every blessing, a cross. They do not pretend to understand the Mind of God. Why bad things happen to good people, and why good things happen to bad people: they trouble not themselves with things beyond their ken.
In God's sight, we're told, a thousand years are like a day. Astronomers and geologists routinely speak of time by millions of years. Mountains rise and fall. I walked on a high plain in Montana once and marveled at the variety of pebbles under my feet. This had been an ocean bottom once. The stones gave evidence of much turmoil over billions of years. They'd survived high winds and deep seas, and were only resting awhile, awaiting the next cataclysm.
Faith is like that. It remembers the trial of Abraham, the fall of Jerusalem, the crucifixion of Jesus, and the torture of martyrs. It rests in the Lord. Obediently, it observes the sabbath.
Saturday, mid-August, let's remember our prayers today. And thank God for whatever comes.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.