Fear the LORD, you his holy ones, for nought is lacking to
those who fear him.
1 Maccabees, Chapter 3, Verse 6-7
6The lawless were cowed by fear
of him, and all evildoers were dismayed. By his hand deliverance was happily
achieved, 7and he afflicted many kings. He gave joy to Jacob by his deeds, and his
memory is blessed forever.
Judas Maccabees was a defender of the weak that were oppressed by
renegades and by the kings of the region. To understand this better let’s look
at the words meaning.
1.
A person who behaves in a
rebelliously unconventional manner.
2.
Archaic a person who abandons religion; an
apostate.
How many of us have at times been cowed by the fleshes
weakness or the world; as professed by the media and given in to false prophets
that spout the culture of death. We must
stand with the Church and not be cowed and show ourselves as people trusting in
God in the midst of troubles.
Trusting in God in the Midst
of Troubles[2]
Saint Augustine, 354 –430 A.D. had something to
say about the private storms in our lives. St. Augustine was a philosopher and
theologian who tells us, “Don't forget the presence of Christ. When you
have to listen to abuse, that means you are being buffeted by the wind; when
your anger is roused, you are being tossed by the waves. So when the winds blow
and the waves mount high, the boat is in danger, your heart is imperiled, your
heart is taking a battering. On hearing yourself insulted, you long to
retaliate; but the joy of revenge brings with it another kind of
misfortune—shipwreck. Why is this? Because Christ is asleep in you. What do I
mean? I mean you have forgotten His presence. Rouse him, then; remember Him,
let Him keep watch within you, pay heed to Him. Now what was your desire? You
wanted to get your own back. You have forgotten that when Christ was being
crucified He said: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
Christ, the sleeper in yourheart, had no desire for vengeance in his. Rouse
Him, then, call him to mind.” There will be encounters we
cannot envision, cannot see for they lie around the bend in the roads of our
life. Sometimes it takes only the ringing of the telephone to change an entire
well-made plan, bringing us to truths we hope we never hear such as the death
of a beloved relative or the news that someone we care deeply for has an
incurable illness. There might be a knock on the door that brings life-changing
news that will break our hearts. But it
is in the midst of uncertainty and trials, as we teeter on the brim of a chasm
wondering what to do, imploring God with weakening hope to come forth for us,
that we can see we are stronger than we thought. Through faith, we are
able to pull ourselves up from the edge of unspeakable hardship to keep
ploughing forward on our heaven bound journey. It is a time when we can
understand and measure our capacity to endure, to assess our strength and continue
through life’s fiercest turbulence. We look at those who are surviving terrible
calamities and adversities and we cannot understand how they persevere, how
they can put one foot in front of the other and move on, running toward a goal
that others cannot see. These are the people with great faith, who are willing
to "let go of the branch" and depend on Jesus Christ and His promises.
“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the
sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters
surge!” -Psalm 46: 1-3.
Do not let your faith be
swallowed up by fear. Do not
wallow in self-pity, for Almighty God knows your circumstances and what you are
going through. Take your supplications to God, and find the solace and
comfort you need to overcome. Be always mindful that in the middle of the
violent storms that steal away your joy, batter your dreams, and flatten your
hopes, you will find the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ Who says "I will
never leave thee, nor forsake thee” -Hebrews 13:5 .
Daily Devotions/Prayers
No comments:
Post a Comment