Recently a highly respected journalist from the Middle East reflected on the many complicating issues and unjust events that have led to distrust among political factions in the region. The difficulty that truly captivated me was how belligerent rhetoric and vicious violence will escalate whenever issues become explicitly religious. “We can deal with cultural and even ethnic divides, but whenever God comes into the picture, there’s no way to control the conflict,” the journalist stated. As a result, leaders exert much energy attempting to keep references to God out of political disputes.
It’s tragic how we humans attempt to use God, the only One who can truly heal human strife, in ways that deny His restorative power. In the Middle East, just as in every corner of our world, what we most need is God.
When the Israelites were escaping Egypt and roaming the wilderness in search of home, there were certain things they desperately needed—food, shelter, and protection. They also needed wisdom, direction, and hope. More than anything else, however, they needed God to speak to them. This is why, at the outset of their sojourn, God brought Israel to the base of Mt. Sinai so the people could sit and listen while He thundered the truths that would serve to guide them (Exodus 20:1).
What was most important for the people to understand was the foundational truth God declared: “I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt” (Exodus 20:2). For the hardship ahead and the many ways they would be tried and tested, they needed to hear Him say that He was their God, He was with them, and He was for them. God was their rescuer—the One they and we need most.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Matthew 27:57-66
More:
Skim Revelation 3:1-22. How does each of the letters to the churches conclude?
Next:
What do most people believe they need the most? How do your thoughts and actions reflect the reality that what you most need is God?
Gary Shultz on September 27, 2015 at 6:33 am
I think most people believe they need to believe what ever they want to believe, “it’s all good”. No limits, no boundaries, until another’s freedom disturbs theirs, and then they are right. No rules should apply to the way someone believes, no foundations, no responsibility. If we live our lives in that way we get the results, and what a great pay day we are starting to see. Well, you know all of this stuff, and that God always had reason and purpose for His word and ways. There is substance in what God says, there is substance in lived results, and there is not just pay, but rewards for a Godly purposeful life. Thanks
Winn Collier on October 3, 2015 at 4:15 pm
yeah, anytime we use food for merely our own purposes, we’ve obviously made a massive error.