Light breaking through dark clouds in Jordan
Mishi, our Israeli guide on the Carroll-Fischer Holy Land tour, is a terrific teacher. He gave us lots of historic, political, Biblical, and geographical information – a small portion of which I wrote in my journal each day.
He cast helpful light on the ancient story of Ezekiel’s vision of resurrecting a valley full of dry bones into an able-bodied army. This story had always been a puzzle for me. Mishi explained it as promising fresh hope for Israel; that God could take a people who had died spiritually, had lost their hope, and revitalize them with life and purpose.
More broadly viewed this story gives hope for today, for everyone. God, whom I think of most often as ever-present divine Love, speaks even to those who feel spiritually dead, lost, discouraged – to revive hope and expectancy of good, to inspire with purpose and renewal.
With today's flakey economy, the anticipation of resurrection in this story is timely. A good God doesn't plan evil for His/Her creation; rather that infinite God has a useful and unselfish purpose for each of His/Her children. No matter how tough things seem, there is a way forward.
“Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity,” is a maxim because people have found it true. No situation is hopeless when a person is willing to turn to a power higher than themselves for an answer.
The catch is not to limit that answer by outlining how we think results should come about. What we think should happen is usually too small compared to God’s good plan. This divine Love has the broader picture, and knows what needs to happen to bless His/Her creation.
When I’ve been discouraged and small in my thinking, God’s grace has always turned out to be much larger than anything I could have imagined. That grace becomes active in my life as I let go of self-centered thinking, and become more interested in what I can do for others.
He cast helpful light on the ancient story of Ezekiel’s vision of resurrecting a valley full of dry bones into an able-bodied army. This story had always been a puzzle for me. Mishi explained it as promising fresh hope for Israel; that God could take a people who had died spiritually, had lost their hope, and revitalize them with life and purpose.
More broadly viewed this story gives hope for today, for everyone. God, whom I think of most often as ever-present divine Love, speaks even to those who feel spiritually dead, lost, discouraged – to revive hope and expectancy of good, to inspire with purpose and renewal.
With today's flakey economy, the anticipation of resurrection in this story is timely. A good God doesn't plan evil for His/Her creation; rather that infinite God has a useful and unselfish purpose for each of His/Her children. No matter how tough things seem, there is a way forward.
“Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity,” is a maxim because people have found it true. No situation is hopeless when a person is willing to turn to a power higher than themselves for an answer.
The catch is not to limit that answer by outlining how we think results should come about. What we think should happen is usually too small compared to God’s good plan. This divine Love has the broader picture, and knows what needs to happen to bless His/Her creation.
When I’ve been discouraged and small in my thinking, God’s grace has always turned out to be much larger than anything I could have imagined. That grace becomes active in my life as I let go of self-centered thinking, and become more interested in what I can do for others.
As I see it, God doesn’t play favorites – His/Her love is universal and impartial – equally here and now for you and me, for everybody.
1 comment:
Haven't had a chance to check your blog recently but finally made it today and Dave and I thank you for the "arm chair" travel log.
Great photography too.
Enjoyed your thoughts too.
Also we had read in some Bible commentary that Jesus' "father" was an architect from what the translation meant -- maybe that goes with stone mason work, designing etc? Anyway thanks for the sharing of same.
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