The
beginning of human history was a time of growing and a deepening process of
human wickedness. In the story of
Genesis, God decided it would be better to start over again. The waters of the flood returned the earth to
the chaotic conditions from which it first emerged, but what came out of the
flood was something new and greater, the first explicit covenant of God with
His material and human creation, a covenant extended to all, by which God bound
Himself to keep the process going, not to destroy His creation again (Genesis
9:8-15).
The earliest
Christians also experienced a time of crisis and trial. They were dispersed through the pagan world,
living in small communities, threatened by persecutions. Peter reminded those who were suffering that,
as Jesus suffered and was put to death on the cross, He also rose from the dead
(1 Peter 3:18-22). Today, as in Peter’s
time, we too are reminded that as we share in the cross of Christ, we will also
share in His resurrection.
Jesus went
out into the desert to take time in solitude and prayer in order to confront
difficult choices of His life and the reality of evil, yet He remained in the sustaining
presence of God (Mark 1:12-15).
If even
Jesus required this time in solitude, how much more do we! Very few of us can find the time and
opportunity to endure even one desert day; yet somehow, we need to find time to
be alone with God, to be totally present to God in prayer, to reflect, to
reassess where we are before our God and just spend time with our loving God.
A good
prayer for us in found in the Psalms: "Your ways, O Lord,
make know to me; teach me your path, guide me in your truth, and teach me, for
you are God my savior." (Psalm 25:4-9)
No comments:
Post a Comment