Trust in God

Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any.” (Isaiah 44:8)

Thursday, 5th week in Lent

Dear friends,

Here’s a devotion that Tom Lucke sent to me.  Tom is one of the Elders at BSLC, Spokane.  His words are encouraging during our Corona Virus Time:

Many years ago I asked our daughter Melinda, to draw a picture of Jesus. She hastily sat down and went to work. The final product was impressive for an eight year old. Jesus was tall and slender with brown eyes, brown hair and a brilliant robe of red.

If I were to ask you to draw a picture of what Jesus looked like, what would you draw?

This whole question took me back to the book of Isaiah chapter 44.  In this chapter we find a classic example of what people of that day thought of what their god might look like and be.  This chapter contains  pictures of a workman forging an idol of metal or carving it from wood. It ridicules the idol-maker, who sees no contradiction in burning half of the wood of a tree he cut down to cook his food, and then praying to the other half of wood, “Save me; you are my god.”

But the idol-maker is ridiculous. He wants someone or something to save him. He chooses something he himself has made to serve as a god. “Give me a god,” the idol-maker seems to say. “But don’t give me a god bigger than me. Give me a god I can control one I can make out of a tree I cut down, one I can shape to my own needs.”

In early times evidence of idolatry was everywhere. There you could see and touch the various gods. Today we like to think we have progressed beyond idolatry.  But in fact, the very same attitude dominates the thinking of many in this scientific age.

No, we don’t have the metal or wooden figures. We do however have our computers, We have rockets flying in outer space. We have hydrogen bombs.  We have many objects produced by our own hands, and all too often mankind will say to these things, “Save me. Save me. I’m counting on you to save me.

Then God’s Word comes and reminds us our craftsmen too “are nothing but men.” To have confidence in things we have made is the essence of idolatry. It brings vibrant hope in the living God and reduces it to hope in dumb, silent works of our own hands.

Mankind does want gods. But gods that are under human control.  When we meet the God of Scripture , we meet a God who is greater than us.  Then we abandon our hopes in controlling Him—and joyfully submit  to the loving kindness and the guidance of a living God.

Napoleon Bonaparte once said, “Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and myself founded empires; but on what foundation did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force.  Jesus Christ founded an empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him.”

Back to the beginning.  What does Jesus look like? Napoleon pretty well summarized it all.
[Devotion sent by Tom Lucke]

In the hands of the God who made us all,
Pastor Langdon Reinke

P.S.   Want or need to talk?  Give me a call.  I am with you!  We have volunteers who are ready to help meet needs. Let us know.

Have something to share?

Do you have a thought, a devotion, a scripture, or prayer to share? Send it to me at pastor@beautifulsaviorspokane.org.  I look forward to sharing what God puts on your heart.

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