Today's Scripture Reading (January 30, 2022): Deuteronomy 29
When I was a teenager, I delivered an early morning paper. My early start ensured that the
newspaper was there when the occupant and the sun began their day. That meant
that I rose from my bed at four in the
morning, when the rest of the world was still asleep in its envelope of
darkness and began my rounds. During one of those rounds, I experienced something that I have never been able
to explain. One morning, something that looked like a ball of fire hovered for
several minutes above the powerlines as I made my rounds. It seemed to follow
me for a while, and then it was gone. I have toyed with many explanations for
the phenomenon, but none seem to have quite fit what I saw. It was an Unidentified Flying Object,
although not necessarily of the alien kind.
There is a belief among some sectors of Christianity
that the best way to evangelize the world is through signs and wonders. Every once in a while, someone within my circle of
influence questions
why God doesn't just turn loose his miracles on the world, demonstrating his power for everyone to see. Then, everyone would know that God exists and is in control. It makes
some logical sense.
And yet, we also realize that the truth may not
follow that logic. The cry of our world when confronted with the miracles that
God does perform in our midst is that there must be another explanation, some
other reason as to why and how these things have happened. Just because
we can't explain something does not mean that there is a
supernatural reason behind the event. It just means that we don't understand the occurrence. And the other side of
the coin is equally true. Just because we can understand why something happens
does not mean that God has nothing to do with the action, just like every
strange light in a sky is not necessarily from another planet.
Moses understands this reality. He looks at Israel and reminds them that they had seen the miracles that God had
done in Israel and throughout the past four decades. And if they did not see
them, they had heard the stories told by their parents who had seen these
marvels. And yet, they still didn't believe. And Moses tells the people that even
though they have seen the wonders that God was doing all around them, the problem was that they did not have a mind that understands, eyes
that see, or ears that hear. And until God moves and blesses them with those
things, they will be blind to the movement of God.
A few millenia have passed since the days of Moses, and that is still the
truth. We don't need a God who will do more wonders in our midst.
We need to pray that his Spirit will give us minds that understand, eyes that
see, and ears that hear. And then maybe we will have the courage to point to
all of the wonderful things that God is already doing in our midst.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 30
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