Our sin, God's action, Our response

2 Kings 3:1-4:17

Acts 14:8-28

Psalm 140:1-13

Proverbs 17:22

I am astounded that, despite Joram's sinfulness, God saw fit to rescue him from the predicament he and the kings of Judah and Edom found themselves in - in the deep desert, seeking to wage war, but without water and poised for defeat.  Not only did God provide the armies with water, He used that water as an instrument of their victory in battle.  And He provided the water, and used it, in ways man could not have imagined.  

And yet today's readings demonstrate how God's love overcomes our sinfulness and transcends our lives...and how our response, while well meaning, can be extremely misguided.  After the victory God gave Joram, Jehoshaphat and the King of Edom, we read how God provides for the widow and son of a prophet who obeyed the Lord, and how He rewards a couple who took care of His servant, Elisha.  And finally, we read of how, through Paul, God healed a lame many in Lystra, a city where, it appears, they worshipped the Greek gods; and where, perhaps with the best of intentions, the citizens concluded that Paul and Barnabas were those gods come to earth, a mistake the disciples corrected, which the Jews then used to get the crowd to try and kill Paul.

After reading today's scripture, I am struck with gratitude for the overwhelming nature of God's love, a love that is willing to forgive our sinfulness, recognize our kindness, and come to our aid however undeserving we might be; and I am left with the realization that, in my sinful nature, I am very susceptible to misunderstanding the manifestations of God's love, and to responding to them sinfully.  And I find myself praying today's psalm, and realizing that I may need rescuing from my own tendencies to sin and wickedness.