Thursday, October 2, 2003
Thursday, October 2, 2003
Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning, for in you I put my trust. Teach
me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.
According to an ancient legend a certain small village sought to strike a bargain with God. They
had been experiencing many years of poor harvests. They thought they could improve on God's
way of doing things. They asked God for permission to plan the weather for the next year's
harvest. God agreed. Whenever they asked for rain, God sent rain. Whenever they asked for
sun, God sent sun. That year, the corn and the wheat were higher and thicker than ever before.
When harvest came, however, the farmers discovered that the tall corn had no ear, and the thick
wheat had no head of grain. They complained bitterly to God. God replied, "When you asked for
rain, I sent rain. When you asked for sunshine, I gave sunshine. You never asked for the harsh
north winds, however. Without the harsh north winds, there is no pollination, and with no
pollination, there is no crop." We may not not understand God's ways, but we know God's heart.
For He has revealed it in Jesus. We know that God is for us. We know He can be trusted. We
know God's way is best.
(Psalm 143.8
NRSV)
There are Christians who sincerely believe that everything that happens is a result of God's will.
Others equally sincere believe that God has created a lawful world and that everything that
happens is a result of God's lawful creation. He may under certain remarkable circumstances
intervene, but most things happen according to God's laws. Which is right? Who can say?
We're not God. We do know that however God chooses to act, God's way is best.
Dear God, may I be more willing to follow your way. Amen.
