Advent Reflection

From Anglican Mainstream.

In a world of GOOGLE, I-PADS and the myriads of other gadgets of technology we often think we do not needs God’s counsel because we have the world at our fingertips with all the resources possible to  have all the answers? What a dangerous delusion this has become. One of the dimensions of mono-theism in general and Christianity in particular is that the faithful seek answers, support, and community involvement.  The spread of Wi-Fi and 3G/4G networks deludes us into thinking that the internet is able to fill most of these needs quite handily for a growing number of people.

Engage the reflection. More proof that great minds think alike (see my reflection from today).

Why Read the Bible: To Learn to Grow in Our Relationship with God

When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it. Now the house of David was told, “Aram has allied itself with Ephraim”; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind [emphasis mine]. Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field. Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood—because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah. Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah’s son have plotted your ruin, saying, “Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it.” Yet this is what the Sovereign LORD says:

“‘It will not take place,
it will not happen,
for the head of Aram is Damascus,
and the head of Damascus is only Rezin.
Within sixty-five years
Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people.
The head of Ephraim is Samaria,
and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son.
If you do not stand firm in your faith,
you will not stand at all.’”

–Isaiah 7.1-9 (NIV)

From today’s passage we get further insight into God’s intentions for our relationship with him. If you are a fan of political intrigue and international machinations, this story is for you.

Ahaz, the king of Judah (the southern kingdom of Israel with Jerusalem as its capital) gets word that the king of Israel (the northern kingdom of Israel, which was also called Israel, or Ephraim, or Samaria after its capital) had teamed up with Aram (modern day Syria) to destroy Judah. As the text tells us, this news struck Ahaz and his people with great fear and this is where the story gets interesting because later we are told that instead of calling on God to help him and his people, apparently Ahaz decided to try to take matters into his own hands by seeking out foreign alliances to help prevent this from happening. This, in turn, prompted God to issue the chilling last line of the passage: “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” Behind all this trouble lurks the impending threat of the Assyrian Empire which would eventually conquer Aram and the northern kingdom of Israel (Samaria, Ephraim, Israel).

Here we clearly see God’s expectations for us. When it hits the fan in this life, we are not to take matters into our own hands. We are not to be afraid. Instead we are to remain calm because nothing is too big for God even if it looks overwhelming to us! Instead, we are to seek out God’s will and guidance before we act.

Notice the dynamics behind this. God is essentially saying to us that he knows better than we do about what is good for us and how we are to act as human beings. He has the eternal and omniscient perspective on things. We don’t. We also have to believe that God has our best interests at heart, but that will never happen if we do not know God or know about his track record l us and his people.

And so we see the same dilemma again in this story that got us kicked out of paradise in the first place. Who do we think is God, ourselves or the real God? We will eventually have to answer this question because sooner or later we all will have to make a decision about how to handle dire situations in our lives. Do we believe God is smarter than we are? Do we believe him to know what is in our best interest more than we do? As long as we answer “no” to these questions, we will remain alienated and separated from God because he loves us enough to give us the freedom to choose what kind of relationship we have (or don’t have) with him. True love can do no other because true love must always be given and accepted freely and never with compunction. That means too that God loves us enough to let us suffer the consequences as well as the rewards for our decisions. That is why we often hear such stern warnings throughout the Bible–you know, the kind of warning a parent gives to her child when she sees the child heading down a destructive path. God is not some mean ogre, bent on suppressing us or making sure we don’t have any fun. Instead, God is inviting us to have a life-giving relationship with him, a relationship not of equals but between Creator and creature.

Is your ego small enough to want that kind of relationship?

The next time you face circumstances in your life that make your heart shake, will you turn to God for guidance and trust that he will do so according to his good will and purposes for you or will you try to take matters into your own hands and go it alone? I am not talking about sitting on your duff and wringing your hands, waiting for God to speak audibly to you before you act. I am talking about asking God for his guidance and then doing your part. For example, if you are unemployed and seeking work, it is entirely appropriate to ask God to grant you work. But you have to do your part. You cannot sit around and wait for a job to fall in your lap. You have to update your resume and get out and apply for jobs that you want. When you do, and when you ask for God to show you the job he wants you to have, you will not be disappointed if you wait for God and his good time. But that requires faith and trust, faith and trust that can only be had by knowing God and having a daily relationship with him.

If you only attempt to cultivate a relationship with God when it hits the fan in your life, you likely will be disappointed in the kind of relationship with which you end up. After all, who wants to have a relationship of convenience? I don’t know many people who do and I am quite certain God does not. But if you really want to live your life with meaning and purpose, if you really want to have power to deal with all that can go wrong in your life, you will not be disappointed if you put your best efforts into developing a relationship with God. Prayer, Bible study, worship, and fellowship are all common means of grace to help you have what your heart desires–if it desires a real and meaningful relationship with God.

And if you ever wonder if God really wants a relationship with you, read passages like Isaiah above and then think of all that God suffered for you when he became human and hung on the cross to forever end your exile from him. Remember that he promises to give you his Holy Spirit to live in you and help you in good times and bad. When you remember this, you will certainly know that he indeed wants you to have a real relationship with him. After all, that’s one of the main reasons why he created you.