Thursday, March 25, 2021

3-25-2021

  Good Morning All,

    Exodus 24:17: “Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel.”

    Why don’t we see this anymore?  Why don’t we see this miraculous display of God’s majesty?  When we think of the story that surrounds the plagues of Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea, the leading through the wilderness with the pillar of cloud and fire; when we think of the awe and majesty of God’s very presence at Mount Sinai we think, “now that is what God should be like.”  “I could easily believe in a God that was flashy!  I would never leave a God like that.”  “Just give me a God with thunderbolts and lightening and make Him very, very frightening indeed to all my (His) enemies.”

   You would think that wouldn’t you?  It must have been so easy for those early Israelites to believe in God; they saw Him and the mighty works that He did.  Yet a mere 8 chapters later in Exodus, in chapter 32, while they are still camped at the bottom of Mt. Sinai, they fall away and worship a golden calf.  Too often, our pleas for God to do something, is really a call for God to do what I want, when I want and to whom I want it done.  Ultimately, we do not want God to show His power so we can have faith; we want God to show His power so we can try and control God to do our will.  We are trying to trade places with God and place ourselves on His holy throne and rule all.  That is too often the “proof “we seek.

     We seek proof that meets our standards and often that standard changes.  When we see one event, we simply add a new condition.  We always move the bar so we can claim “truth”.  Yet through all this, we hurt ourselves, we deceive ourselves and we place ourselves in jeopardy.  For we do not see God where God is; God is most often at work in the ordinary things of life.  He comes to us through the love of a parent or spouse, the concern of a neighbor or friend, or even through a stranger “just doing his job”.

     Fortunately, God knows better than all of us.  He acts in ways that are designed to reconcile back to Him with love and not total fear.  He does not try to scare us into faith; rather He leads us back to Him with “a still, quiet voice” a voice that offers hope and comfort.  God’s majesty is all around; all we need to do is look.  It is in the morning sun and the evening quiet.  God’s love is revealed to us in the empty tomb of Christ.  We should then respond to the world with love, as God did to us, and leave the “thunderbolts and lightening” to old rock songs.

   God of power and might, we give you thanks for your great power, but we especially give you thanks for your great love.  Move us to share that love with one person today.  Send Your Spirit that those who are suffering or are faint of faith may be strengthened and encouraged by Your abundant mercy given to us through the still. Quiet voice of Jesus.  In His precious Name we pray, Amen.

 God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret    

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