Today’s scripture: Isaiah 17:1-14 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Linda Bernabie):
One of many biblical struggles is the paradox between God’s divine love in the New Testament and God’s Divine Anger in the Old Testament. There was a Doonesbury comic strip several years ago (May 31, 2009) in which Sam was asking Rev. Sloan about this very paradox. Sam says, “Whenever you read from the Old Testament, God is always crabby and snarky to everyone. But the New Testament isn’t about anger at all — it’s about love. God’s only son is this total pacifist — he wouldn’t harm a flea. He’s just this humble dude who’s mellow to everyone — even the Romans!” I asked this same question when I was growing up.
I was raised in Kansas, the heart of the tornado belt. At the time we did not have a basement, warning sirens, Doppler radar, or the watch/warning systems. When weather threatened, we would all gather together in a circle around a small crackling transistor radio and wait for the weather man to announce, “A tornado has been spotted. Seek shelter immediately!” When we heard that ominous warning, we would all jump into the car and drive to the end of the block to South Seneca Baptist Church.
The church had a full basement and Rev. William (Billy) Younger, who was a newly ordained enthusiastic Pastor. Pastor Billy was trying to grow his congregation, so he would open the church doors for anyone who needed “shelter from a twister.”
Everyone would take refuge in the church basement. As we settled in, the Pastor’s wife, Jessica, would pass out slightly thawed cookies and freshly made Kool-Aid, while Pastor Billy gathered all of the children in a circle for Bible stories and a little Q&A. The first question I asked Pastor Billy went something like this: “Why does God make tornados, and then makes Jesus to do only good things? With great passion he said, “God teaches us to love one another and brings us only divine goodness. It is Satan who is responsible for evil here on earth.”
Over the years I have asked the same question many times, and have received everything from “the devil made me do it” to “God changed the way of doing things in the New Testament.” None of the answers I heard really resonated until I was in my early twenties. That’s when I got the answer from Granny!
My parents were hosting a “mini” family reunion. In attendance was my ninety-year-old grandmother, me, my sisters, my brother, and all of our spouses. After dinner, we gathered in the living room and began reminiscing about our “tornado” days and Pastor Billy’s cold cookies and Q&A. I began to repeat the question I had asked him about God and tornados. As I began recapping Pastor Billy’s theory of Satan’s responsibility for bad things, suddenly, in mid-sentence, my dear sweet little granny stopped me and said, “God ain’t about meanness and vengeance. Everything God does is about love. But sometimes God misses us and wants to hear from us, so he just pulls the rug right out from under us so we drop to our knees.” Amen, Granny!
Quote for the day: “No matter how many times you get knocked down, keep getting back up. God sees your resolve [and] determination. And when you do everything you can do, that’s when God will step in and do what you can’t do.” — Joel Osteen
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.