Moving Forward - Trusting God

 Psalm 121     Deuteronomy 11-12     Mark 11

Today’s song is a short one that reminds us that the Lord is with us at all times and worthy of our praise. No matter where we go God goes with us and never slumbers or sleeps. We can trust him at all times. At times it is good to just praise the Lord because our lives have been changed and we give thanks.

God instructs the people of Israel through Moses on the importance of following the commandments and statutes he has outlined for them as they enter the land God promised them long ago. They are ready to enter in. It is God that goes before them and that will lead them in taking over this land. It will be so much better than that land the left in Egypt and the Lord has promised to not only help them capture the land but as long as they are obedient to what God has demanded of them that the land itself will be blessed and provide for them with abundance.

It is really important to note that God also warns them that if they do not follow what he has laid out for them on the ways they are to live, they will be cursed, set apart as a rejected people. He warns them that if they ignore his ways and intertwine their lives with those that inhabit the land they will be led away from following God and the cost will be losing the land they have waited so long for. They are to simply follow the ways of God without taking away or adding to his expectation as they enter the land.

As Jesus enters into Jerusalem with his disciples, he begins to show them that he knows what he is doing and what is going to happen. He tells them to go ahead and there will be a untrained colt there for them to bring back for him to ride into the city. When it happens the way, he said they bring it to Jesus and as he enters into the city the people cray out with high expectations about what his coming means. Once again Jesus is setting the stage for what is about to happen. There is great conflict here with his disciples struggling to understand what he is doing as he appears to provoke the leaders to anger and resentment. They want to create a plan to destroy him.

He instructs them with the ways of living by faith, trusting God at all times. He makes it clear that there are those that will violently oppose them. He shows them in a fig tree the power of speaking while believing. He also reminds them they will have to learn how to practice grace and forgiveness that he knows how hard that will be. As he did earlier, he reminds them that in the same way they judge others they will be judged by God.

In each of today’s readings we find the people of God on the verge of experiencing the power of God in a way they would have never expected or thought possible. It is always about putting our trust in God and believing that God will be faithful to his promises and that the role of his followers is to trust that his ways are the right way. When we try and live life in a way we think is better it will always lead to separation from  God while calling for a return to his ways.