“11 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.
3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”
-Hebrews 11:1-3
Your course writer is a recovering “certainty fiend.” I value having a strong sense of what is beyond the next bend in life. I like to make plans and have big hopes and dreams. The reality is that life rarely offers us such a respite. It is fraught with uncertainty that often leaves us anxious.
Part of the problem is that no one is truly in a position to understand all of life and reality. We are heavily contextualized in the time, place, and circumstance we were born into and it shapes our perception of the world.
For the Christian, we are not given certainty. We are offered an opportunity to believe and follow. Yes, there are rational arguments for the existence of God and the deity of Jesus. However, these things cannot be proven. They require faith. Jesus didn’t appear before Caesar’s court after the resurrection. He appeared to his followers. Why? Because when God revealed himself to Israel he made something very clear about worship.
The gods of the Ancient Near East (ANE) could be controlled through the use of sympathetic magic in worship. This provided the worshipper a sense of certainty. Israel’s God revealed that at the heart of worship is trust and surrender. Proper worship requires faith.
This is why we see all the miracles during Israel’s long journey in the wilderness. They did not know for sure where their next meal or sip of water would come from unless God intervened. Each day they were invited to trust him.
Some have come to believe that “certainty” is a foolish pursuit that ultimately pulls us away from the proper worship of God.
Discuss how the hiddenness of God in the creation and the uncertainty of life is an invitation for us to learn to properly approach him in worship.
done
Seen
Oct 3rd, 2022
