Friday - First Week in Lent
On this Friday in Lent, let us consider how Scripture urges us to trust that the Lord is more than enough for our insufficiency. God gives strength for those things that we know we lack on our own. It is God that not only “makes all things possible” – but makes everything possible: God is the author, creator, and center of all that is.
We might want to say that God makes the impossible possible: God gives us power to overcome seemingly insurmountable problems. Take the current pandemic. Some might ask “Where is God?” when innocent people, even children, are struck down by an impersonal force like the novel coronavirus. In these circumstances, phrases like “when we rest in Him, no harm shall befall us; nothing dangerous shall come near us” (Ps. 91:10), or, “God is our shelter, our shade, our refuge, and out fortress” (Ps. 91: 1-2) may seem meaningless. Rather than being omnipotent, God seems impotent and less than a “mighty to save.”
But then, we might reflect on the workings of our physical world. People have suffered and died because of earthquakes, explosions, and accidents. When such things occur, we do not want to hear, “It’s God’s will.” “Poppycock!” (or a more picturesque phrase may come to mind). And yet, it is the same world at work that moves gifted scientists and medical experts to find great cures to save the many – in the long run – many more than were lost. Take the scourge of polio as an example. We are on the cusp of seeing this terrible disease eliminated from the face of the earth because of the inborn curiosity and determination of human persons gifted by God with extraordinary talents.
All of this comes from God- bad and good alike. It all amounts to the unfolding of creation in a way that, properly viewed, brings our world into the mysteries of God. So, even in the face of acute suffering and unmitigated horror, we really can rest in God because conforming ourselves to the mind and heart of God prepares us for unimaginably great things. No matter how stubborn we are, or how unworthy we may see ourselves, God will see this great work through. If we are slow in speech, God’s strong hand will supplement what is lacking (Ex. 6:10-12). God will ensure that we are given power to carry out God’s will (Acts 7:35).
When we see God working in our lives and using us to further the Gospel, give thanks and rejoice! Even if we perceive that we may end up in a worse place than when we started, praise God anyway that we are being used to accomplish the ultimate purposes of God (Acts 6:40-42).
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