January 21, 2019
In this morning’s Fruit of the Vine, Phil Smith starts off a three-week collection of reflections on the words of the prophet Jeremiah with a reminder that saying yes to God’s call doesn’t guarantee earthly blessings: “Jeremiah obeyed God and suffered for it.” And “it’s not hard to see why. God’s messages through Jeremiah confronted his nation with its sins, starting with idolatry.”
There are myriad ways of attempting to understand the idolatry Jeremiah addresses in light of contemporary culture. Phil simply suggests that idolatry comes out of our attempts to control our destiny – or to control God.
These attempts at guiding, maneuvering, or controlling God aren’t necessarily power plays. Sometimes we’re simply afraid.
This morning, I’m trying to focus on and sit with the things that frighten me, the things that make me anxious, the things that keep me awake at night.
What about you? What are you afraid of?
Phil reminds us that God “freed Israel from slavery, ... protected Israel in the wilderness, and ... planted Israel in the land of promise.”
And I’m prompted to pray something simple this morning, “God, help me.”
Maybe you’ll join me.
Maybe you can pray this prayer too.
Maybe, together, we might remember that even though “no one can see or control God,” neither can anyone or anything “separate us from the love of God” (Romans 8:39).
No matter what you face, I hope you feel loved today.
Eric Muhr
Seeds of hope is the three-year campaign to fund the ministry of Barclay Press so we can continue to do the work of developing new titles, supporting small churches, and balancing the budget. As of this morning, we’ve received $390 toward our 2019 goal of $56,000. Your support in 2018 totaled just over $50,000!
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