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27 Mar 2020 - Bible-based Faith

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Friday, 27 March
Bible-based Faith
Luke 18:35-43

Have you experienced desperation and felt that God was no way near you? It is a real emotion that we all struggle with. Our emotion can be loud but it is not something we want to rely entirely on. I was watching a sports game where the player argued against the referee that he did not foul. The reviewed it through the video recording. It was a clear foul. Emotion is like that.

In Luke reading we find a man in desperation. How can he get healing? He seemed to be at the bottom of the ladder for a miracle to happen. How can he get God to pay attention to him? Must he give more sacrifices, pray longer, know the Torah better and so on? That is what it seems.
Yet we find Jesus present to him, giving full attention and asking what he wanted and bringing the precious gift of sight to him. An assuring picture of the God of grace and love. I choose to depend on these stories rather than my emotion and experience. I am well aware I don't always see correctly so I need the stories of God in the Scriptures.

A second story of desperation we have been reading is that of Naomi and Ruth. You can read the book of Ruth without seeing God in the story. It creatively carries the cry of Naomi, "Where is God?" God seems absent again, base on one's experience.

Read attentively. He is present. God is present through His people. In this case, in the person of Boaz who was unaware of it but he simply obeyed God. He simply loved God and obeyed the law where those who have must help those who do not have.

It is interesting that Jesus said ".. whoever believes in me will do even greater things than these ..." (John 14:12-14). Could this mean that with the Holy Spirit the church carry the presence of God into the world? And we carry the presence of God simply when we take God's word seriously- understand and obey? I think so.

Prayer
Lord, as I look at your stories I am grateful for your presence and attentiveness to me. There are times I struggle with this. Would you give me sight too, sight that comes from knowing you as in the Scriptures and that the Scriptures shape my experience and emotion more and more each day? Give me sight to see that I have been given the privilege and responsibility to carry your presence to others. Amen

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