Today’s Scripture: Psalm 136:1, NKJV- “Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”
Do we really give thanks to the LORD as often as we think we do? From time to time I am surprised when I capture an affirmation from God’s Word that I feel like I must have written on a million times, only to see I have not.
As I was praising God this morning, I was reminded of the holiness and seriousness of God. Even though I am thankful for the grace of Jesus Christ and the New Covenant, I also know that God does not change.
I always think of Uzzah in the Old Covenant. Do you remember Uzzah? Although I write mostly about the fullness of life that Jesus has given to us in His grace and love, I always have this reminder that the faith and life I live are still given to me by the God. The same God who In 2 Samuel 6:1-7 and 1 Chronicles 13:9-12 struck down Uzzah.
I know I deserve to be struck down and like Uzzah, I can justify most of my actions. Uzzah thought it was his job to protect the ark of God. The ox stumbled and Uzzah simply reached out to keep the ark from falling. As the ark was shifting, Uzzah did not have time to go and find the law and familiarize himself with what God had said.
When our world is tumbling down, we do not have time to go and read God’s commands to see what we are to do either. So should Uzzah just have let the ark of the LORD fall? Can you imagine his split-second decision? David and the 30,000 Israelites were marching, singing, and playing their musical instruments out in front of the cart. Uzzah must have felt a responsibility to not let the Ark fall on his watch.
We feel similar pressures in our lives. What would the crowd think if this stuff fell apart on my watch? We, like Uzzah, think God needs us to stabilize the world. News flash, God is God, and we are not.
We can get too caught up attempting to do God’s job. Maybe if Uzzah was more focused on praising God as David was doing, he would not have seen the oxen stumble. We too can turn to God and praise and trust God instead of thinking we need to have our hands in everything.
Our lives can appear to be falling apart. Yet, it is in these moments where we need to trust God. We must turn our focus and strength away from our problems and the tasks at hand to trust God.
Why did Uzzah assume the ark would have fallen without his intervention? Why do we assume certain things will fall apart without our fixing them? We can trust that God is who He says He is, and He will do what He said He will do.
Jesus is the Son of God and He died for our sins and brought us the New Covenant of Grace. In the commands to love God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength and to love our neighbors, we can trust God with the details. It is not up to us to stabilize every situation. In fact, in most situations we must only trust God.
Do you love the holiness of God or fear it? Are you willing to let God do God’s work?
Today’s Prayer: Almighty and Holy God, You are God, and I know I am not. Although I do not understand and sometimes, I overreach my boundaries, I pray to focus on You. I am praying now to trust Your omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. In You LORD I trust. I am praying to live by Your commands in light of the grace of Jesus Christ who came to earth to bring us the New Covenant. Guide and protect us Holy Spirit to trust God and live in the love and life of Jesus. Amen.
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