Saturday, March 14, 2009

March 14

Division of the Promised Land (Continued) - Joshua 18:1-28, 19:1-51, 20:1-9, 21:1-45


"'Go and make a survey of the land and write a description of it.  Then return to me, and I will cast lots for you here at Shiloh in the presence of the Lord.'" Josh. 18:8

Imagine leaving something as important as determining your ancestral land, the place that God has promised you, to "dumb luck." Wouldn't we consider casting lots leaving it up to chance?  You've wandered for 40 years and fought numerous battles only to cast lots for your property.  

Do we have that kind of faith?  And what exactly do we believe God is capable of?

We say we believe God hears and answers prayers.  But when we pray for the sick to be made well or healed and they are, sometimes snatched from the very door jam of death.  Do we think it miraculous or the hand of God?  Or do we think it was the work of doctors, modern medicine, they weren't really that sick or, yes, perhaps, even chance?  

Do we believe God can act through the roll of a dice or the casting of lots?  Would we leave a decision as important to us as the neighborhood we live in totally up to God and flip a coin?  Or do we believe God is only capable of working through us, through people?  How big is our God?  How involved is He?  And how much faith do we have...really?

Lord knows.

Sometimes I think God only works miraculously in third world countries because those are the only places where the people rely on Him so totally and believe that He can and will.  And we hear of a miracle in a third world place reported by third world people...don't we typically attribute it to superstition and their lack of education?

Lord knows.

Limiting God's work in the world, limits what we can see and know of Him and rejoice in but I also think we take comfort in the fact it limits our chance of disappointment.

I have witnessed at least one miracle in my life.  How about you?


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