Thought for Today
1 Kings 19:11 He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.
Matthew 5:39 But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; 40 and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well;
We live in a divided nation in a divided world. Every day Christians throughout Christendom are buffeted about by differing and clashing ideas, parties, governments . . . by life itself. Every day Christians throughout Christendom ask ourselves, “Who are we to believe? What is the right side to follow and support?”
For some of us, the whole question is magnified and sharpened by the fact that we are in Holy Week and rapidly approaching Easter and the Empty Tomb. And, for those of us ‘of an age,’ the question and the issue seems magnified by questions about eternity.
What are we to do? Whom are we to believe? What is the right answer? Are you . . . am I comforted by the fact, the realization that this is not a modern problem? Is it comforting to think about all of our ancestors-in-the-faith who have faced the same dilemma?
This week, the week between Palm/Passion Sunday and Easter, Jesus lived in a divided nation in a divided world. Jesus lived in a small, remote province of a mighty empire. Jesus and his followers lived among scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees. Even the group we refer to as apostles included fishermen, a tax collector and at least one political zealot, a rebel. Archaeological discoveries during my lifetime, including the Dead Sea Scrolls, have revealed that there were other parties and groups operative in the region during Jesus’ lifetime. Of course, as we have read in the Bible, there were other, false messianic claimants. And, there were John the Baptist and his disciples. Certainly, many then were asking, “Who are we to believe? What is the right side to follow and support?”
We know those words of Jesus above from Matthew. If we are honest with ourselves, we also know that our world includes those who, when we turn the other cheek will strike it even harder. There are those who will sue us for our coats, our cloaks and everything else we own. We also know that Jesus said, "Luke 10:27 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."
Before we become so paralyzed by doubt and indecision, I suggest we also remember that Jesus said, “Mark 13:7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come.” We certainly hear a lot today about wars, rumors of wars, peace achieved in wars we did not even know existed. We read and hear of conspiracies about things and issues we did not even know existed. Some of all of that may even be true.
Maybe we should begin by reading those verses above about Elijah. God was not in the wind, not in the earthquake, not in the fire. God was the silence. Updated, that might read that God is not in the podcast, God is not in the blog (even the ones on our church’s website), God is not in social media. Truthfully, we cannot access God in our ‘devices’ any more than Elijah could. Elijah at least had an excuse, there were no electronic devices then.
There was a song some years ago about looking for love in all the wrong places. I believe that looking for truth, looking for God in social media is much the same, a search in all the wrong places.
If I, if you, if we want to find God . . . if we want to know who to believe, what to believe, I think we need to set aside a quiet time in our lives. We need to turn off all our devices, television, radio, smartphone, laptop, tablet, landline if you still have one. Turn it all off. Read your Bible. Listen for the voice of God. Hear the psalmist, "46:10 Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth."
Stay safe, listen to the sound of silence, trust God,
Pastor Ray