May 14
Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts will be with you, as you have said. Amos 5:14
There have been many books written about the subject of how our thinking affects who we are and what we do. Even people like Margaret Thatcher and Ralph Waldo Emerson, as well as Buddha are quoted with sayings that reflect the capacity of our thoughts and ponderings to become our words and our goals, with the ability to turn us into what we have been dwelling on. I cannot help but think how this applies to this passage!
Frequently we say, “God is with us!” or “God is good!” When we separate from others we often tell them, “God be with you!” and ask for God to bless them. But when we are challenged, do we really believe God is with us? Do we grasp the enormity and impact of His presence? Do we doubt at times? Do we find it hard to locate God in some aspects of our life? Of course we do! We are human after all. God made us this way. All He is asking is for our trust. He wants us to trust with all our hearts; trust with our minds; trust with our souls. We can trust that He is there, even when in the dim light of our agony. we cannot even glimpse His presence.
And in that trust, if we turn our thoughts and prayers toward Him, we will find Him. In the uttering of our words, we will find His peace. In the repetition of our heartfelt request - even in a simple “go to” prayer such as “God be with me,” our faith deepens; the very words bringing us into His presence.
The prophet Amos, so profoundly tells us in this Scripture passage, that our God will be with us - just as we say! Hold on to that belief! Hold on with hope! No matter what life may toss your way, keep telling yourself He is with you! Then, in every good thing that surrounds you, you will recognize Him, whether the light is dim or bright.
Heavenly Father! Thank you for being with us! Even when we may not even be aware of your presence, we can trust that you are there.
Copyright© 2014 Kathleen A. Matson
Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts will be with you, as you have said. Amos 5:14
There have been many books written about the subject of how our thinking affects who we are and what we do. Even people like Margaret Thatcher and Ralph Waldo Emerson, as well as Buddha are quoted with sayings that reflect the capacity of our thoughts and ponderings to become our words and our goals, with the ability to turn us into what we have been dwelling on. I cannot help but think how this applies to this passage!
Frequently we say, “God is with us!” or “God is good!” When we separate from others we often tell them, “God be with you!” and ask for God to bless them. But when we are challenged, do we really believe God is with us? Do we grasp the enormity and impact of His presence? Do we doubt at times? Do we find it hard to locate God in some aspects of our life? Of course we do! We are human after all. God made us this way. All He is asking is for our trust. He wants us to trust with all our hearts; trust with our minds; trust with our souls. We can trust that He is there, even when in the dim light of our agony. we cannot even glimpse His presence.
And in that trust, if we turn our thoughts and prayers toward Him, we will find Him. In the uttering of our words, we will find His peace. In the repetition of our heartfelt request - even in a simple “go to” prayer such as “God be with me,” our faith deepens; the very words bringing us into His presence.
The prophet Amos, so profoundly tells us in this Scripture passage, that our God will be with us - just as we say! Hold on to that belief! Hold on with hope! No matter what life may toss your way, keep telling yourself He is with you! Then, in every good thing that surrounds you, you will recognize Him, whether the light is dim or bright.
Heavenly Father! Thank you for being with us! Even when we may not even be aware of your presence, we can trust that you are there.
Copyright© 2014 Kathleen A. Matson