(March 10, 2021) Do you have an image of God as a stern man ‘up there somewhere’ watching your every move? Maybe you imagine Him holding a big tally sheet, keeping track of everything you do wrong, all your poor choices and missed opportunities. Sometimes our guilty conscience makes us picture Him glaring down at us; maybe we think He’s too far removed to have anything to do with us. If any of this is true for you, then I want to show you a different perspective.
Take a look at this passage from Isaiah:
“Listen, heavens, and hear, earth, for the Lord has spoken:
Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.
Come now, let us set things right, says the Lord: though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow; though they be crimson red, they may become white as wool.” – Isaiah 1:2, 16-18
If I may paraphrase: God says, “It’s time to wash off the mud you’ve gotten yourselves stuck in. I know you made the mess; I don’t want to focus on that. I simply want you to stop doing what’s wrong and do what’s right instead. I want you to help those in need.”
And then, with a gentle smile, God invites us back to Him: “Come now, let us set things right.” There is hope in that statement. ‘Let us’ – together – He and we, working together so we can put this behind us and move forward. There is no condemnation, no pushing us away. With open arms He welcomes us back, embracing us as we cry with our “I’m sorry” for the wrong we’ve done (see Luke 15:11-32).
This entire passage expresses the gentleness of God. Yes, we have sinned. Yes, damage has been done, and still God will help us clean up our mess and work with us to make a plan to do better in the future.
We can and will be forgiven. And, being forgiven, we have another chance to do what’s right.
“I waited, waited for the Lord,
Who bent down and heard my cry,
Drew me out of the pit of destruction,
Out of the mud of the swamp,
Set my feet upon rock,
Steadied my steps,
And put a new song in my mouth,
A hymn to our God.”
Psalm 40:1-4
“Lord, help me to understand that You are a God of love, not anger or condemnation. Help me forgive others as You forgive me.”
This article is a personal reflection by Gina Bedell © 2021. It and other reflections written by her invite the reader to reflect on a given topic and then seek deeper answers through prayer, additional spiritual reading, and/or consultation with clergy or other persons who may guide the reader to a deeper faith and understanding of God’s love and will for their life.
No comments:
Post a Comment