Remember Who He Is

I sometimes joke that calendars and schedules are my love language. I like order and structure. It almost goes without saying then that the stress of coronavirus has been hard, as it has come with so many unknowns. My favourite book of the Old Testament is Deuteronomy. I recognize that it’s an unusual choice!

Moses spoke the words of Deuteronomy at the end of the Israelites’ 40 years in the dessert. The overarching theme of the book was that as the Israelites were preparing to enter the Promised Land, they were to remember who God is, what He had done for them, and how they were to live as His covenant people.

Deuteronomy 4:32-39 (CSB): “Indeed, ask about the earlier days that preceded you, from the day God created mankind on the earth and from one end of the heavens to the other: Has anything like this great event ever happened, or has anything like it been heard of? Has a people heard God’s voice speaking from the fire as you have, and lived? Or has a god attempted to go and take a nation as his own out of another nation, by trials, signs, wonders, and war, by a strong hand and an outstretched arm, by great terrors, as the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? You were shown these things so that you would know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides him. He let you hear his voice from heaven to instruct you. He showed you his great fire on earth, and you heard his words from the fire. Because he loved your ancestors, he chose their descendants after them and brought you out of Egypt by his presence and great power, to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you in and give you their land as an inheritance, as is now taking place. Today, recognize and keep in mind that the LORD is God in heaven above and on earth below; there is no other.”

I know I need to keep those same things in mind as I look ahead to the fall and all the unknowns. That God remains the same, that through the blood of Jesus and His work on the cross I belong to his chosen people through the new covenant, and that my thoughts, words, and actions should be evidence that I love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Breaking it down even more practically, it means being understanding to family members who may hesitate to see us because our kids will be attending school. It means praying for our government as they make tough decisions, instead of grumbling about mandatory masks. It also means finding creative ways to safely reach out to my unbelieving neighbours who have hardly stepped out of their house in the last 6 months. Remembering who God is and what He has done gives me peace as I look at my very empty September calendar, and it should shape my response going forward.
 
Bonnie Reimer