In Whom Do You Place Your Trust?

Exodus 14:5-18
Matthew 12:38-42

How easy it is for us to fail to recognize God’s presence in our lives even though we see the signs of His power in our lives. As the people marched out of Egypt and out of the grips of Pharoah and their Egyptian slave masters, Pharoah decided to give a final chase towards the people of Israel who had just been delivered from his hands by God. As the people saw them approaching, they sensed the great danger of the Egyptian army with Pharaoh’s chariots and charioteers, now stuck in between the approaching army of their Egyptian lords and the Red Sea, they started complaining against Moses and against God their deliverer. They want reassurance that Moses is a true leader and that he has been sent by God. They fear for their lives. They would rather prefer to die as slaves than be killed in the wilderness. Moses rebukes them for their lack of trust in God. He reminded them that it was God Who called them out of Egypt through His mighty deeds and wonders and reassures them saying, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever.” In other words, God wanted to demonstrate throughout history, His power over all nations and powers that He is the Mighty Liberator. The Scriptures tell us this 58 times! “The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.” EX 14: 13   God is the Great Micromanager of all our life.  “What do we have to fear if we live in the arms of a loving God?” St Paul of Cross

Are you afraid of your past? The Lord is ready to forgive you and put your body, soul and spirit at peace for He is the Prince of Peace. Has life been so hard for you and your present condition is full of trials? The Lord is the Eternal Wisdom and He will give you the wisdom that is beyond the wisdom of Solomon to direct you and breakthrough for you. Are you troubled about your future or whether you will get to the promise land? God is the Way-maker and He will make the way where there seems to be no way.He led the people through the sea. Believe! Have Faith and Trust! and you will see the power of God. The wildernesses in our lives can become the threshold of miracles if we call upon the name of the Lord. It is in this moment that the Lord tests our faith and trust in Him. We therefore never cease praying.

In today’s Gospel (Mtt 12:38-42) the scribes and Pharisees seek a sign that Jesus is the true Messiah and that He has authority to do what He is doing. Jesus scolds them for their lack of faith. Today’s readings challenge us to ask, “Why is it that I keep seeking new signs from God and I expect Him to do great things for me before I fully put my trust in Him?” Our faith should not be based on what we want God to do for us, it should be based on what He has already done for us: He has given us life; given us salvation through Christ. That does not mean that we should not present to Him our needs. We should. But we should not place our further belief or trust in God upon something that we demand Him to do for us. We should be in awe of what He continually does for us, not waiting for Him to fulfill our every desire (which may sometimes be contrary to His plan) We should look at all the ways He shows us His divine presence with us each and every day and appreciate His providence for those signs we see. Do you ever try to bargain with God before you put your faith in Him? Once you’ve had a prayer answered, do you always remember to thank Him? What can you do to support the faith of others when they have a sense of doom or are caught between a rock or a hard place?

As we go about doing our daily routines and tasks, may we continue to understand His love for us because misunderstanding His Divine plan and
underestimating His Divine Providence for us would be the biggest mistake of our lives!

Fr Joseph Osho