“I am the Lord, and there is no other; beside me there is no
God.”
Isaiah 45:5 (Common
English Bible)
Each morning I receive
from the New York Times an electronic “briefing”
of the day’s top news stories. Conflict in the
Ukraine, violent faith extremism in the Middle East and political tensions here
at home seem to dominate the conversation of the citizens of this great nation.
Any of these headline events could, at any moment, change the course of the
lives of all of us. Few would question that, as a nation, we are unsettled.
Yet, in the midst of all this, there remains a people who are prepared to stand
and say, with conviction, “I believe in God the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth.”
Perhaps the present
unease of our nation calls for a closer look at such a belief - a belief in a
God who remains present and in control of all creation. Simply, what does the
full weight of that profession of faith really mean? Though statistics show
that a sizable majority of the U.S. population believe in God many somehow give
the impression of taking much more seriously the temporary centers of power -
political, economic, and scientific - than the active presence and work of an
almighty God. We talk and behave as if there are other powers that are really
in control of our future.
This is not new. The
prophet Isaiah - as well as each of the Bible writers - knew well how much
there is in our world that calls into question the active presence and care of
a loving God. Yet, it is into such a world, where nations threaten one another,
accidents happen and where hardship and difficulty fall upon both the just and
the unjust, that these same writers bring to us a word from God. The day when
Scripture was penned is not unlike our day; people where alarmed and fearful of
what might happen to them.
Into such uncertainty
one might ask if there is proof of God. There is not. Nor can the absence of
God be proved. What remains is an examination of any anecdotal evidence that
may be found. In my ministry I have listened to those with devastating illness,
those who have lost a loved one and others who have experienced significant
economic loss who all speak of the common strength found in their trust of a
living God. It was this faith that sustained them in difficulty. Perhaps all of
this is anecdotal, as I have mentioned, but it is enough for me to join each of
them in declaring the words of Isaiah, “I am the Lord, and there is no other;
beside me there is no God.”
Joy,
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