Deuteronomy 1-3
"...And in the wilderness, where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, just as one carries a child, all the way that you traveled until you reached this place. But in spite of this, you have no trust in the Lord your God..." Deuteronomy 1:31-32 NRSV
Picture in your mind someone carrying a small child. The child is carried as something precious, someone that is loved. And the child trusts that the adult will not drop them. Moses speaks to the people, giving this image of God as a loving parent who carried the Israelites as though they were small children through the wilderness. Yet, despite the care God has given them, they still don't trust God's promises.
When has God carried you as though you were a child? Been through any wildernesses lately? What has God done for you to show you that you were loved and precious?
What challenges do you face today? This week? In the months ahead? Do these upcoming trials make you afraid? Or are you trusting that God will still be with you, holding you, leading you through this valley?
It is in our nature to lose sight of how much God loves us and provides for us. May we overcome our mistrust.
God, we trust you. Amen.
Copyright 2010 Amelia G. Sims
Showing posts with label trust. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trust. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Blessed Is She Who Believed
"And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord." Luke 1: 45 NRSV
Mary walks into her cousin's home and immediately both women are filled with the Spirit and begin praising God and one another.
Even in utero, there is a recognition of the definite hierarchy of these two children.
Elizabeth speaks first and recognizes the superiority of Mary's belief and acceptance of what God had told her. This is in great contrast to both Zechariah's (now mute) and Elizabeth's (now in seclusion) belief, Mary's own hasty departure from home not withstanding.
It is Elizabeth's child who leaps within her and acknowledges the greater baby in the room/womb. Elizabeth, how is older, addresses Mary as the mother of her Lord. It is Mary's baby who is Lord, not Elizabeth's. So it is not only about acceptance but the actual child that decides who is more significant.
I think it is not the understanding of a virgin birth that we should focus on but the trusting acceptance of God's promise.
God, help us to focus on your promises this Season. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Mary walks into her cousin's home and immediately both women are filled with the Spirit and begin praising God and one another.
Even in utero, there is a recognition of the definite hierarchy of these two children.
Elizabeth speaks first and recognizes the superiority of Mary's belief and acceptance of what God had told her. This is in great contrast to both Zechariah's (now mute) and Elizabeth's (now in seclusion) belief, Mary's own hasty departure from home not withstanding.
It is Elizabeth's child who leaps within her and acknowledges the greater baby in the room/womb. Elizabeth, how is older, addresses Mary as the mother of her Lord. It is Mary's baby who is Lord, not Elizabeth's. So it is not only about acceptance but the actual child that decides who is more significant.
I think it is not the understanding of a virgin birth that we should focus on but the trusting acceptance of God's promise.
God, help us to focus on your promises this Season. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Trust Me
Then the lords of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not dried out, and she bound him with them. While men were lying in wait in an inner chamber, she said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he snapped the bowstrings, as a strand of fiber snaps when it touches the fire. So the secret of his strengths was not known. Judges 16: 8-9 NRSV
I am trying to get my head around how untrustworthy everyone in this story is and how they all know it.
Delilah tries to trick Samson - she asks him what would make him lose his strength. Her main goal is to have him captured so that she gets rich.
Samson, even though he is in love with her, does not tell her what makes him strong. This was smart. But why does he lie? Obviously, his lust...er...love is not enough to be honest even if it was just to say: "I'm not going to tell you."
Then Samson obviously falls asleep during one of his visits and Delilah ties him up. Then she cries out that his enemy is upon him. As the Philistines are only hiding in the next room, it is obviously that neither Delilah nor the Philistine lords trust what Samson has told her. They are testing him. They want to see if Samson has truly lost his strength.
Now Samson reveals that he has lied but it is obvious now that Delilah has lied. Samson now knows for sure that he cannot trust her. Does he know she is going to betray him or does he think she just wants to know his secret?
How trustworthy are the people in your life? In your church? At work? Would you share your secrets with any of them? In other words, how trustworthy are they? How trustworthy are you?
God, you know our deepest secrets, our strengths and our weaknesses. You want to hear those from our lips. May we share them now......In Jesus' name. Amen.
Question of the day: When have you betrayed someone's trust?
Copyright 2009 Amelia G. Sims
I am trying to get my head around how untrustworthy everyone in this story is and how they all know it.
Delilah tries to trick Samson - she asks him what would make him lose his strength. Her main goal is to have him captured so that she gets rich.
Samson, even though he is in love with her, does not tell her what makes him strong. This was smart. But why does he lie? Obviously, his lust...er...love is not enough to be honest even if it was just to say: "I'm not going to tell you."
Then Samson obviously falls asleep during one of his visits and Delilah ties him up. Then she cries out that his enemy is upon him. As the Philistines are only hiding in the next room, it is obviously that neither Delilah nor the Philistine lords trust what Samson has told her. They are testing him. They want to see if Samson has truly lost his strength.
Now Samson reveals that he has lied but it is obvious now that Delilah has lied. Samson now knows for sure that he cannot trust her. Does he know she is going to betray him or does he think she just wants to know his secret?
How trustworthy are the people in your life? In your church? At work? Would you share your secrets with any of them? In other words, how trustworthy are they? How trustworthy are you?
God, you know our deepest secrets, our strengths and our weaknesses. You want to hear those from our lips. May we share them now......In Jesus' name. Amen.
Question of the day: When have you betrayed someone's trust?
Copyright 2009 Amelia G. Sims
Monday, September 21, 2009
You Do Not Really Love Me
On the fourth day they said to Samson's wife, "Coax your husband to explain the riddle to us, or we will burn you and your father's house with fire. Have you invited us here to impoverish us?" So Samson's wife wept before him, saying, "You hate me; you do not really love me. You have asked a riddle of my people, but you have not explained it to me. " He said to her, "Look, I have not told my father or my mother. Why should I tell you?" She wept before him the seven days that their feast lasted; and because she nagged him, on the seventh day he told her. Then she explained the riddle to her people. Judges 14:15-17 NRSV
The secret of a good marriage: honest communication.
What if Samson's wife had just told him that her people were threatening to burn her and her father's house? Wouldn't Samson had done something then? Instead, she says the worst six manipulative words for any two persons in a relationship: you do not really love me. Then she cries for the rest of her week-long wedding celebration.
It is quite obvious that she does not love Samson. She just wants to make sure she and her family are not killed. She is willing to betray Samson's trust and confidence.
And she won't be the last woman in his life to do so.
God, we pray that we can be open and honest when we talk to you. Thank you for listening. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Question of the day: What are the limits of honesty in communicating with someone you love?
Copyright 2009 Amelia G. Sims
The secret of a good marriage: honest communication.
What if Samson's wife had just told him that her people were threatening to burn her and her father's house? Wouldn't Samson had done something then? Instead, she says the worst six manipulative words for any two persons in a relationship: you do not really love me. Then she cries for the rest of her week-long wedding celebration.
It is quite obvious that she does not love Samson. She just wants to make sure she and her family are not killed. She is willing to betray Samson's trust and confidence.
And she won't be the last woman in his life to do so.
God, we pray that we can be open and honest when we talk to you. Thank you for listening. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Question of the day: What are the limits of honesty in communicating with someone you love?
Copyright 2009 Amelia G. Sims
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Still Making Excuses
Then the spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh. He passed on to Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed on to the Ammonites. And Jephthah made a bow to the Lord, and said, "If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, then whoever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return victorious from the Ammonites shall be the Lord's, to be offered up to me as a burnt offering." Judges 11:29-31 NRSV
Why would anyone who is already a great warrior promise that he will sacrifice a person if God gives him the victory? Is he not Jewish? Does he not know The Law? Maybe spending time with the outlaws of Tob made him forget. Or, perhaps his mother who was a prostitute was not an Israelite. Maybe the whole childhood thing really messed with his head in more ways than one.
Or maybe those are all just excuses.
Jephthah is a great warrior. He is fully capable on his own.
The people who once rejected him have asked that he take on the Ammonites. They are so assured that he can do it that they promise him a leadership role.
Now God has filled him with the Spirit. He now has God's power.
So, why does he need to make a bargain with God? Shouldn't it be evident to him that he will have the victory?
Don't we do the same thing, though?
We are fully capable. Others have shown that they trust our abilities. God has given us the Spirit. Yet, we seem to lack the trust, the confidence that things are going to work out okay. Instead, we use our childhoods, our sad stories, and our weaknesses as excuses to find reasons not go ahead and do what we are asked to do.
The victory is ours.
Yet, how many times do we make a vow that is only going to get us into trouble?
God, you entrust us and trust us. Thank you. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Question for the day: What's your excuse?
Copyright 2009 Amelia G. Sims
Why would anyone who is already a great warrior promise that he will sacrifice a person if God gives him the victory? Is he not Jewish? Does he not know The Law? Maybe spending time with the outlaws of Tob made him forget. Or, perhaps his mother who was a prostitute was not an Israelite. Maybe the whole childhood thing really messed with his head in more ways than one.
Or maybe those are all just excuses.
Jephthah is a great warrior. He is fully capable on his own.
The people who once rejected him have asked that he take on the Ammonites. They are so assured that he can do it that they promise him a leadership role.
Now God has filled him with the Spirit. He now has God's power.
So, why does he need to make a bargain with God? Shouldn't it be evident to him that he will have the victory?
Don't we do the same thing, though?
We are fully capable. Others have shown that they trust our abilities. God has given us the Spirit. Yet, we seem to lack the trust, the confidence that things are going to work out okay. Instead, we use our childhoods, our sad stories, and our weaknesses as excuses to find reasons not go ahead and do what we are asked to do.
The victory is ours.
Yet, how many times do we make a vow that is only going to get us into trouble?
God, you entrust us and trust us. Thank you. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Question for the day: What's your excuse?
Copyright 2009 Amelia G. Sims
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Trusting God
"So now the Lord, the God of Israel, has conquered the Amorites for the benefit of his people Israel. Do you intend to take their place? Should you not posses what your god Chemosh gives you to possess? And should we not be the ones to possess everything that the Lord our God has conquered for our benefit? Now are you any better than King Balak son of Zippor of Moab? Did he ever enter into conflict with Israel, or did he ever go to war with them? While Israel lived in Heshbon and its villages, and in Aroer and its villages, and in all the towns that are along the Arnon, three hundred years, why did you not recover them within that time? It is not I who have sinned against you, but you are the one who doe me wrong by making war on me. Let the Lord, who is judge, decide today for the Israelites or for the Ammonites." But the king of the Ammonites did not heed the message that Jephthah sent him. Judges 11: 23-28 NRSV
At first it sounds like the warrior Jephthah is trying to negotiate with the Ammonites. He is trying to get them to see that their claims are foolish - the land has been given by the Lord God, they have not done anything about it for three hundred years, is the current king just trying to pick a fight? - but I think he is actually taunting the Ammonites. He seems to be saying: who are you that you think you can win this fight? Are you a god? Are you as great as your King Balak? Are you trying to be judge when it is God who is the ultimate judge?
If the king of the Ammonites had heeded Jephthah's message, would it have meant peace for the people? Or would Jephthah have fought anyway?
I don't have an answer. I do know that Jephthah certainly seems to be putting a lot of trust in God's power and judgment through the use of wise logic. But he won't be able to fully trust without some rash decisions.
God, you ask us to trust you and to make wise decisions through our words and actions. May we show more courage than Jephthah. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Question of the day: How well do you trust God?
Copyright 2009 Amelia G. Sims
At first it sounds like the warrior Jephthah is trying to negotiate with the Ammonites. He is trying to get them to see that their claims are foolish - the land has been given by the Lord God, they have not done anything about it for three hundred years, is the current king just trying to pick a fight? - but I think he is actually taunting the Ammonites. He seems to be saying: who are you that you think you can win this fight? Are you a god? Are you as great as your King Balak? Are you trying to be judge when it is God who is the ultimate judge?
If the king of the Ammonites had heeded Jephthah's message, would it have meant peace for the people? Or would Jephthah have fought anyway?
I don't have an answer. I do know that Jephthah certainly seems to be putting a lot of trust in God's power and judgment through the use of wise logic. But he won't be able to fully trust without some rash decisions.
God, you ask us to trust you and to make wise decisions through our words and actions. May we show more courage than Jephthah. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Question of the day: How well do you trust God?
Copyright 2009 Amelia G. Sims
Saturday, August 29, 2009
God Provides
That same night the Lord said to him, "Get up, attack the camp; for I have given it into your hand. But if you fear to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah; and you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to attack the camp." Judges 7: 9-11a NRSV
After dealing with Gideon's penchant for testing God repeatedly, God accepts Gideon's nature and provides a way to build up his confidence and trust. Gideon is going to sneak down into the camp and overhear the enemy's dream and its interpretation of a victory for the Israelites. That seems to be the last motivating factor for getting Gideon moving.
God really is amazing. God's patience is incredible. God's understanding is so holy. God knows what is needed and God provides.
And I am not talking about Gideon here but about the rest of us.
God provides the proof, the assurance, and the help we need when things seem utterly against us. God comes through even when we have our back up to the wall of impossible odds. God nurses our trust to new life and outstanding levels of confidence.
God knows and understands.
God provides.
God builds up.
Thank you, God! Amen.
Question of the day: How has God built up your confidence in the last month? Or are you still resisting?
Copyright Amelia G. Sims
After dealing with Gideon's penchant for testing God repeatedly, God accepts Gideon's nature and provides a way to build up his confidence and trust. Gideon is going to sneak down into the camp and overhear the enemy's dream and its interpretation of a victory for the Israelites. That seems to be the last motivating factor for getting Gideon moving.
God really is amazing. God's patience is incredible. God's understanding is so holy. God knows what is needed and God provides.
And I am not talking about Gideon here but about the rest of us.
God provides the proof, the assurance, and the help we need when things seem utterly against us. God comes through even when we have our back up to the wall of impossible odds. God nurses our trust to new life and outstanding levels of confidence.
God knows and understands.
God provides.
God builds up.
Thank you, God! Amen.
Question of the day: How has God built up your confidence in the last month? Or are you still resisting?
Copyright Amelia G. Sims
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