Thoughts that carry this broken pastor to Jesus, and to the cross…

“In spite of this, however, when they are in the land of their enemies I will not reject them and abhor them to make a complete end of them, to break my covenant with them, for I am the LORD their God. I will remember for them the covenant with their ancestors whom I brought out from the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the LORD.’ ”” (Leviticus 26:44–45, NET)

581    How humbly and simply the evangelists relate incidents that show up the weak and wavering faith of the Apostles! This is to keep you and me from giving up the hope of some day achieving the strong and unshakeable faith that those same Apostle s had later.

They were the chosen ones, the holy nation of Israel, and yet they turned their back on God and all He provided for them! They worshipped false gods, ones that promised wealth, power, sexual satisfaction–they chose the brokenness of idolatry, and all its false promises.

They are taken into bondage, the direct cause of their sin, and one would imaging God would write them off, and leave them to deal with the consequences of their actions, telling them that He and all the prophets “told you so!”

Leviticus, of all books, the book written as a manual for priests, tells of a God who is not like that, this is the God that doesn’t forget His promises, Hlove and devotion to His family, His people.  This book designed to ensure doctrinal integrity and proper worship gives a picture of loyalty and faithfulness to a promise to them. As it refers to the rescue from Egypt it infers that God will rescue them from their captivity, again.

As He will rescue the Apostles,

and us.

That is the reason we see Thomas’ doubt, and James and John’s competitive temper, and Peter’s rash, unfiltered nature. It’s the reason Paul will share his despair in Romans 7, and His inability to deal with physical limitations in his letter to the holy, broken-yet-healing people in Corinth.

SO we will know this part of the nature of God, the one who desires to be our God, our Protector and Healer. So we will begin to understand wonderful words like mercy, grace, redemption, restoration…

SO we will know hope and that our faith will be based in the faithfulness of our Lord.

The one who remember us, and went to the cross… for us…

Rejoice my friends, and find rest in the promises

——–

Escrivá, Josemaría. The Way (p. 124). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.