Reflection
- Christ United
- Oct 16
- 2 min read
This Sunday - October 19th
19th Sunday after Pentecost
Genesis 32:22-31 ~ Psalm 121 ~ 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 ~ Luke 18:1-8
There's an old saying, "Let go and let God." While the goal is to encourage trust in God to act, it's not really a biblical phrase. Instead of encouraging trust, it might lead to just giving up.
Both the reading from Genesis and Luke present a very different perspective. If it was rendered down to a pithy saying, they might say "Hold on and wrestle it out". Jacob wrestles with the mysterious stranger all night long (I couldn't last 60 seconds in gym class before getting pinned). The widow in Jesus' parable persistently appeals her case until she gets justice. Both stories are examples of an active, rather than passive, faith that works hard toward what the individual understands God's goal to be.
There are times in life where nothing seems like it's going right and solutions seem far off or non-existent. It's tempting to give up, become apathetic, but God calls us to continue on. We hold tight to what we know is true and work toward the vision of God that we understand, listening carefully for God to give us further guidance.
In 1971, Curtis Mayfield wrote the song, "Keep On Keeping On." Part of the chorus is:
Many think that we have blown it
But they too will soon admit
That there's still a lot of love among us
And there's still a lot of faith, warmth, and trust
When we keep on keepin' on
You can watch him perform the whole song at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-l91O9VxN0
After reading the scriptures with someone else, use the following questions to start a discussion:
Share a time when you had to persevere in faith for a time before seeing change.
What helps you stay strong when you need to persevere during trouble?
What is is an area or two that you feel the need to persevere because things don't seem right?
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