(November’s Scripture Reflection is a flashback to a Faith Story that Kate shared with her discipleship group in 2017.)
Some of you have heard me talk about my faith journey and my frustration with what I seemed to constantly hear at church, the message “just believe and you will be ‘saved’ and you will get to heaven.” I was so frustrated by this message that my husband and I would argue while driving home from church. I was desperate. I wanted a message for today. What about God in my life now??
And then, about a year ago, I was having dinner with new friends in Florida. Claude and I shared that we had been to church that day, and these friends were taken aback. They commented that they did not go to church much because they did not believe in heaven. If I’ve learned anything in life, I know never to discuss religion over wine, so I did not say a thing. But I have thought about this comment constantly. Was my struggle really the same as my friends’? Was our faith all about getting to heaven? About being saved? I have thought about this so much that I felt God was leading me somewhere. I also felt that God wanted me to jump in now to try to figure this out. So here I am.
As I struggled with narrowing down my topic for today, over the Christmas holidays every waking moment – in the kitchen, in the shower, on walks at my husband’s family farm, driving in my car – the First Song of Isaiah (Isaiah 12) kept popping in my head: “Surely it is God who saves me, I will trust in him and not be afraid, for the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense and he will be my savior.” Over and over and over these words that I was struggling with – save and savior. So, under Deborah [Leighton’s] guidance, I went back to the basics. What do these words mean?
Save – NIV – to rescue or preserve from danger; to deliver from sin
Savior – NIV – one who delivers from trouble, sin, or judgment (usually refers to Jesus Christ)
Salvation – NIV – deliverance from danger or difficulty; deliverance from the power or penalty of sin
As I read each of these definitions, it hit me like a ton of bricks- each definition had a today AND a tomorrow. Look at these words – in the present – rescue, preserve and then future – deliver, judgement.
Thank you, Isaiah! So who was this Isaiah and what else does he have to say to us? The Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (way over my head!) refers to the book of Isaiah as the fifth gospel because “it is a book of soaring spiritual insight and stirring declarations of the promises of God.” Isaiah is quoted in the New Testament more than any other prophet so I love that God led me to this prophet’s words! The book of Isaiah is long (66 chapters) and fortunately the chapters I was led to are about the hope God gives us for today and tomorrow.
In How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, the authors explain that some prophets write about “the promise.” These are the verses from Scripture that emphasize God’s hope for today and tomorrow:
Isaiah 41:10
Fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:13
For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”
Because I am very hard of hearing and a slow learner, God led me to other Scripture that emphasized his love, support, and guidance for today and tomorrow:
Psalm 73: 23-24
Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.
Psalm 27:1,13-14
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!
Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!
These verses emphasize that our faith is a faith for today AND tomorrow – and on a lighter note I would quote the great bumper sticker – “No God–No Peace. Know God–Know Peace.”
Last Thursday I woke up with a nudge from God with a very strong and clear message to me, “Listen, learn, and live My word.” I have so much to learn but I am confident now by the grace of God and through his Word, that I am saved TODAY and tomorrow. I have said The Lord’s Prayer all my life, and finally the message is clear – “thy will be done, TODAY as it is in heaven.”
— Kate Nielsen