Day 11

Genesis 24:52–26:16; Matthew 8:18-34; Psalm 10:1-15; Proverbs 3:7-8

IN OUR READING from Genesis today, after 175 years of life on earth, Abraham died. The God of Abraham became the God of Isaac. Meanwhile, Isaac and Rebekah married and had twin sons of their own —Jacob and Esau.

“The sons in your womb will become two nations,” God told Rebekah. “From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger son” (Genesis 25:23). We will watch this dramatic struggle unfold in the coming days.

In Matthew, Jesus calmed a Galilean storm as His terrified disciples watched in speechless astonishment. “Why are you afraid?” He asked them. “You have so little faith!” (Matthew 8:26).

If we’re paying attention, we’ll begin to see the theme of faith everywhere in both Old and New Testaments. It’s either spoken or demonstrated in the lives of the people we meet in the Bible. Faith is the glue in these stories and is no less a requirement to know God and live a life within His presence today.

We have a much easier time masking our lack of faith when it is within our power to act out of our own strength. But within the torrent of a storm like the one Jesus calmed, the truth is always revealed. We either panic and blame God for something He had nothing to do with or reach in faith toward God. It might seem as if this call to dependence is unkind on God’s part, but God is fathering us in this process. We would be profoundly unloving and unkind if we did not guide and parent our own children into maturity, and those of us who are parents understand the challenges involved in protecting, nurturing, and disciplining our children. For our children to thrive, they must have faith in our love and protection. The next time we go kicking and screaming to God because things have moved beyond our control, let’s remember the kicking and screaming of our toddlers and calm down. Perhaps we are simply being presented with an opportunity to grow up. God loves us and wants us to become mature sons and daughters of His Kingdom. But maturity is impossible to attain without faith —and the Bible will continue to show us this as the larger story of redemption continues to progress.

MEDITATION:

The wicked arrogantly hunt down the poor. Let them be caught in the evil they plan for others.