Whose Truth?
The current war in Israel and Palestine is another horrific reminder that at any moment, life as we know it can be turned upside down. There have been many such reminders in our world lately. Jesus tells us in John that we shall know the truth and the truth shall set us free. But do we really feel free in Christ’s love and care? If one of our children had been kidnapped by terrorists, does knowing Jesus still set us free? The question isn’t if tragedy makes us question our faith, but rather does the truth that Jesus is Lord change us moment by moment in every circumstance? From Genesis to the final battle in Revelation, not one person in Scripture glides seamlessly through life. From beginning to end, the Bible is full of examples of God’s people facing life-changing circumstances. Will we worship God in the face of life’s toughest challenges?
As we think about what worshippers do, they seek to be in the presence and order their lives around the object of worship, even while going about the everyday busyness of life. Moses leads a busy life. After God sends him back to Egypt to lead the Israelites out of slavery, this octogenarian has a budding nation under his charge. Laws to teach, wars to fight, building projects, and disputes to settle are just a few of Moses’s everyday tasks, aside from caring for his own family. But we see in the text that being with Yahweh is the nourishment Moses cannot live without. Moses chooses Yahweh because Yahweh chose Moses. In Exodus 33:14, God promises Moses both His presence and His rest. Moses’s response is that if God does not accompany the Israelites, Moses does not want to go either.
Moses is far from a perfect leader. His resume includes murder, fear, doubt, disobedience, and anger issues side by side with the good stuff. Moses’s ‘secret’ was that he knew God was with him. We are also far from perfect. But as believers, we also have the assurance that God is with us. The cure for Christians in an anxious world is to believe Who we say we believe, the God whose grace abounds. Jesus Christ is in total control over every circumstance we face every minute of every day. Jesus’s own words from John 8:31-32 summarize all we need to know, “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Like the father of the boy who was healed in Mark 9, our only cry should be, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
As we think about what worshippers do, they seek to be in the presence and order their lives around the object of worship, even while going about the everyday busyness of life. Moses leads a busy life. After God sends him back to Egypt to lead the Israelites out of slavery, this octogenarian has a budding nation under his charge. Laws to teach, wars to fight, building projects, and disputes to settle are just a few of Moses’s everyday tasks, aside from caring for his own family. But we see in the text that being with Yahweh is the nourishment Moses cannot live without. Moses chooses Yahweh because Yahweh chose Moses. In Exodus 33:14, God promises Moses both His presence and His rest. Moses’s response is that if God does not accompany the Israelites, Moses does not want to go either.
Moses is far from a perfect leader. His resume includes murder, fear, doubt, disobedience, and anger issues side by side with the good stuff. Moses’s ‘secret’ was that he knew God was with him. We are also far from perfect. But as believers, we also have the assurance that God is with us. The cure for Christians in an anxious world is to believe Who we say we believe, the God whose grace abounds. Jesus Christ is in total control over every circumstance we face every minute of every day. Jesus’s own words from John 8:31-32 summarize all we need to know, “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Like the father of the boy who was healed in Mark 9, our only cry should be, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
Ashley Clark
CHRIST THE KING MEMBER
CHRIST THE KING MEMBER
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