Day 033: Peace in War

"The Lord brings wars to nothing; the Lord is His name." Exodus 15:3

In the different songs of praise that we find in the bible, we find many different traits of God that help us understand God's grandeur.  I found this particular praise to be quite amazing, for it speaks to us just as loudly today as it probably did during the exodus from Egypt.

War brings about so much destruction.  It results in the loss of lives from all involved.  Some lives are terminated immediately on the battlefield, but others are terminated in terms of physical and mental injuries.  Whenever we use war as a metaphor for a process in our minds, we refer to ourselves as being in the middle of turmoil, where things just don't seem to make sense anymore.

But God brings about so much good change into our lives.  God ends the wars that are all around us, whether physical ones or mental ones.  God is a God of peace and of love.  We choose many times to hate one another, but God steps into our lives to bring about peace, for we can accomplish so much more whenever we are working together with all those around us.  Through a connection via prayer with God, we can achieve true peace of mind.

When the Israelites turned to God, they were delivered from all their hardships and troubles.  God provided for them every step of the way, even whenever they fell away and spoke out against God.  In the same way, God is reaching out a hand so that God can take us along the way.  God knows our struggles and can make them times when we witness the glory of God.  When we turn to God, God will end all the spiritual warfare that might be reaping ultimate destruction within our souls.  God will walk us down the paths that are eternally peaceful.

Today's Readings:
Exodus 15-16
Psalm 26:1-6 (27:1-6)
Matthew 20:1-28
Romans 5

 

Day 015: The Good News

Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see. The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."  Matthew 10:5-6

When Jesus was carrying out his ministry, there were many people who were wondering what was going on.  People wanted guidance, and Jesus reassured them in this way.

Each time I read this, I hear Jesus speaking in a way that is very excited but poignant at the same time.  It's intense.  He raises his hands as he's listing out what's going on.  He's saying that so much is changing.  And that's a good thing.

Any reading through the gospels reveals that there were many outcasts in Jewish society.  If one wants to read more about that, just go to Leviticus to read about how many more people are supposed to be put off to the side in order to sustain the early Jewish society.  The blind and lame were just that, sitting off to the sides.  The lepers were people you wouldn't look at, because your parents told you that their sins brought them there.  The deaf were people who served no purpose.  The dead were eternal, and the poor didn't deserve the gospel.

Jesus came into the world in order to bring together all of the outcasts!  Jesus came to overthrow all the corruption that society had condoned, and Jesus came to bring wisdom and discernment to everybody.  Jesus is here to change all of our lives, and blessed are we who are not offended because of him.

Blessed are we who are not offended because: the poor can have houses; the sick have doctors and healthcare; those who look different aren't ostracized; God's mercy extends to everybody, even those we don't like; our prejudices are proven wrong; God's love reaches to the heavens and God's faithfulness stretches to the skies; God's love extends to all colors, races, sexual orientations, genders, gender expressions; God calls all the faithful.

Jesus made us think in ways that are still difficult for us to comprehend, but he understands that and is willing to work with us, to change us, and bring us closer, so that we may all walk together, in the same direction, hand in hand, with one accord, in the Spirit.