14th Sunday after Pentecost 26.8.18 Covenant of
Trust
God asks us to trust in Him, and we are not very good at
doing that generally. We like to control our own destiny, to make sure we have
enough of everything; and become extremely anxious when something is out of
place.
Rather than focus on a particular need which might distress
us, we learn to take a wider view, reflecting on the goodness of God - which
never changes, nor can change.
Our trust is in Him rather than this or that situation.
We know He can work things to their proper conclusion,
having much greater power and insight than we have.
For our part we negotiate the path as we go. If I need
something I can mention it in prayer, and He will grant it or not, according to
a host of factors.
He sums it all up by saying: Seek first the kingdom of God. This means seeking that absolute
sense of trust in Him; such that we no more doubt His desire for our good than
our own desire.
It is better if we let Him decide what happens to us, rather
than decide for ourselves. This is the level of trust which can be reached, and
needs to be.
It will not come all at once. It is the end result of a lot
of prayer, reflection, and experience.
God asks this of us: He will provide what we need, but we
have to let Him be in charge.
He wants a covenant relationship with us, where we are the
junior partners.
He wants us to see prayer as not just when we have a special
need, but part of a continuous relationship. We do not do drive thru prayer.
We communicate constantly with Him. There will be much we may
not understand, but seeing our whole lives as in His keeping makes it all
simpler.
We do not arrow in too much on particular requests, which
may or not be granted, but it is more a case of saying I put my life in God's hands, and remembering His fidelity over the
years. Fidelity in my life, and in the whole history of His people.
We pray at all times and in all weathers. We give thanks
even when things are going against us. Why? Because God is still working for us
at those times. So we still need to thank Him.
We keep the communication going, and it all runs much more
smoothly.
The discipline of regular prayer helps us to get into a
spiritual way of thinking.
Most people have not much time for religion; they are
serving the wrong master (Gospel).
God allows people a lot of freedom to decide their course in
life. This means a lot of sins are committed, and this in turn makes everyone’s
life more difficult.
We suffer from that, but can work back in the other
direction by simple trust.
We never turn our back on God as if to blame Him. We express
our trust, routinely, every day of our lives.
The good fruits referred to in the epistle have a harmony
about them, going beyond instant gratification. They give us a sense of order
and peace; we start to feel we are coming back to life.
People say God failed them. It is highly likely they were
taking short cuts with Him. We have to get to know Him.
We are in an everlasting covenant. If we obey Him He will
bless us. If we disobey the result will be one or other form of chaos.
We serve one Master only; everything else will sort itself
accordingly.
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