Does the world ever seem crazy to you? That is a trick question because if you were to answer “no,” I wouldn’t believe you. Yes! The world sometimes seems very crazy and very out of control! There are wars, significant poverty in our neighborhoods, school shootings, constant political and empire debates… the world feels crazy.
Sometimes we may think that this is new and that it is just our generation experiencing a “crazy world”… but then we read Exodus, or any of the Bible for that matter, and we realize that although what we experience is different from the use of technology and media… people have been making decisions that have effects on communities and the world for thousands of years. People have been crying out to God saying, “Hello! Do you see this?!” since the beginning of creation.
Our reading for today begins in Exodus 9 with a plague on livestock, then continues to disease and natural disaster of hail, swarms of locusts, and overwhelming darkness… ending with the plague of the firstborn. Can you imagine what people were saying during this time? They experienced an ultimate “Wow, this world is crazy.” And they had two ways they could respond. They could respond by turning to God, or by turning away from God. Unfortunately, many still decided to turn away from God… but may have turned their hearts and had a posture of “God, I may not understand, but I know you are in this.”
In times of chaos – especially as we gear up to go into an election year and there are many thoughts, emotions, and feelings going into this year… do you turn to God, or do you turn away? Do you have a posture of, “I don’t understand” or “I disagree, but God you are still good?” Or do you push the power of God to see all, to witness all, and to have his hand of guidance and protection off to the side… minimizing who he is and his power?
It’s a question that brings us to a moment of reflection. Maybe we are better at turning our posture toward God with some things to be easier than with others… but we will experience full grace and love when we turn everything over to God. God is still God when there is chaos and things that don’t make sense… God doesn’t change – but how we respond and look to him can change everything for us.
Questions for reflection:
- What feels crazy or chaotic in your life right now?
- Regarding question 1, what is your posture toward God?