Thought for Today
Genesis 4:9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" He said, "I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?"
Psalm 139:13 For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
Luke 1:3 I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed.
John 8:31 "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
As I awoke this morning and once again encountered God’s Creation, I was struck by the realization of how intensely intimate our relationship is with our Creator God. There are several reminders of that in the Bible. Reread the Creation Narratives in Genesis, especially, “Genesis 1:26 Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness’” or “Genesis 2:8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. . . . 9 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.”
The psalmist captures the intimate nature of our relationship with God by referencing our being part of the relationship even before we are born. In another Psalm we read, “100:3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” For Jews and Christians, possibly the best Psalm to capture the nature of our relationship with God is also one of the best-known Psalms, “23:1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake . . . “ (KJV)
Could there possibly be a more intense, intimate relationship than that between Creator and creature? Truly, God knows each of us better than we even know ourselves. I have known Greta since 1959, 66 years. We will celebrate our 60th wedding anniversary next summer. I have known her longer than any other living human being except my own sister. I have known our children their entire lives. I have known our grandchildren their entire lives. They all know me. Yet, God has known me longer, since before I was born, since before I was even imagined.
The Bible even tells me that there is a purpose in my intense, intimate relationship with my Creator. God created Creation . . . all of it. God created humanity to “to till it and keep it.” In our nation today, fewer of us live on farms or ranches than in ages past. “Approximately 2 billion people, or 26. 7% of the global population, rely on agriculture for their livelihoods.” (timesofagriculture.org) For the remaining 73.3%, ‘tilling and keeping’ may have taken on new and different connotations, but the idea remains the same. We are here for a purpose. The purpose was and remains to serve God. Jesus neatly summed it up with, “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."
As I think about all of this while I type these words, I realize that this is at the same time the most awesomely terrifying and unbelievably comforting reality. Since I much prefer comfort, that most well-known Psalm contains a single, astonishing reassurance, “23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” (KJV)
The terrifying part comes when I look at the world all around us. In many ways, we have not done a very good job of “tilling and keeping.” There are still wars and rumors of wars. There are glaring examples of our failing miserably in loving our neighbors, although far too many of us over-achieve in loving ourselves. Much of the human behavior we witness does not present any degree of love for our Creator God.
I always remember Psalm 23:4 when I become overwhelmed by the dark and negative in our world. I also remember Jesus’ promise, “Matthew 28:20 And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." We don’t walk through that valley alone.
Stay safe, love God, love each other, trust God,
Pastor Ray