I Will Watch Over Them

Admittedly, things go wrong. It wasn’t easy for the Babylonian exiles, and it’s not for us, either. The scriptural message seems to be, “Hang in there: things won’t always be so uncertain”. Readings to be explored this upcoming weekend tell us that God is still in charge, no matter how dicey things around us get to be. Calling on God from the Path of Unseeing is a matter of HOPE–there is no proof that things will be better, but we affirm that they will…

JEREMIAH 31:27-34 is a message of this Hope, a renewal of our inner being, our heart. We shall all know God, for the covenant is written within us. Some of us desperately cringe in our pews, thinking that it’s too late. It isn’t. The amazing thing is that God has initiated this newness–of attitude, of behavior–and that we can’t escape Divine Mercy. “The days are coming…” means that the future isn’t just ANY future, “It is a future of hope and meaning, brimming with promise”. (Donald W. Musser, FEASTING on the WORD, C 4:170)

We don’t know what TIMOTHY was up against, in his ministry. Most of the world around him was running after strange gods, which sounds familiar. We do know that someone (Paul?) has been his mentor, and is sharing words of encouragement in II 3:14-4:5. “Hang in There! Keep on Keeping On! And don’t forget the covenant God has written on your heart…Yes, yours!” Those trying to escape the Gospel, or at least to take a vacation from it, are yanked back: Timothy and you and I are urged to be persistent, just as God is persistent.

Most of us are a bit puzzled by Jesus’ strange story about the unjust judge, LUKE 18:1-8. This is a parable, not an analogy: the unjust judge isn’t God. However, we ARE told to pray “without ceasing”, not to wear God down, but to soldiify the process within ourselves. “Praying means hopeful trusting in God, not in ourselves.” (Margit Ernst-Habib, ibid. 190) Having hope indicates that we don’t lose heart.

Thus we’re invited to either bask in God’s glory–or to realize that we need to pray more. We also recognize that we’re in a secular society which has many gods, many toys. So we are glad for each day, whether it goes well or badly. Remember the roots of your faith, knowing that God will watch over you and ALL that is around you…

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Come join the conversation about lessons to be heard on the upcoming weekend; every Tuesday at horacebrownking.com