Thoughts for the Day

God reaches out to Adam (Michelangelo)

For ask now about former ages, long before your own, ever since the day that God created human beings on the earth; ask from one end of heaven to the other: has anything so great as this ever happened or has its like ever been heard of? Has any people ever heard the voice of a god speaking out of a fire, as you have heard, and lived? Or has any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by terrifying displays of power, as the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? To you it was shown so that you would acknowledge that the Lord is God; there is no other besides him. From heaven he made you hear his voice to discipline you. On earth he showed you his great fire, while you heard his words coming out of the fire. And because he loved your ancestors, he chose their descendants after them. He brought you out of Egypt with his own presence, by his great power, driving out before you nations greater and mightier than yourselves, to bring you in, giving you their land for a possession, as it is still today. So acknowledge today and take to heart that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. Keep his statutes and his commandments, which I am commanding you today for your own well-being and that of your descendants after you, so that you may long remain in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for all time.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

We continue looking at Chapter 4 of Deuteronomy. The people are preparing to move across the river Jordan into Canaan, and Moses reminds them of God's faithfulness and power that they have seen displayed from when He brought them out of Egypt and through the 40 years in the wilderness. He reminds them of all the times God has helped their forefathers - from the plagues in Egypt to the parting of the Red Sea, to dozens of other times when he guided them in the desert - and he emphasises the need to stay faithful to God and obey His commandments for there is no other God beside Him.

This passage serves as a reminder of God’s special relationship with His people. Therefore perhaps it can also prompt us to reflect on the significance of God’s involvement in our own lives. Often we don't seem to see the hand of God day-to-day but we can certainly see it when we look back. The time we didn't fall in the lake because someone grabbed our hand as we slid down the bank; or missed a bus but something amazing happened as a result; or ..........? Well you can add to this list yourself! Can you take a moment to consider the ways in which God has been faithful in your own life, showing his power and love to you or those you pray for?

If today you are coping with a debilitating illness (as a number of those who contact me are); or an Ofsted inspection looms; or you face the loss of a job, it can help to find some solace when we remember how God helped us in the past. It can also help us to trust in God's guidance and His continual presence, and so give us hope for the future.

Father-God,
You are with us from birth to death,
and care for us as Your children,
yet often we forget to speak to You
and go on our way seemingly alone.
Help us to remember to turn to You
not just when we are in need
but to involve You in all that we do.
Help us also to remember that
that when You answer our prayers
it can be in different ways,
but always it is for the best outcome.
Amen.