Together @ Trinity

Reflection by: Michael Miller

My June Primary ballot is sitting on the counter. While I’m grateful for the opportunity to cast my vote, I can’t say that I’m enthusiastic for anything this particular ballot contains.

In that context, though, it’s interesting to read about the four Israelite exiles who worked in the service of Babylon and then Persia.

Selected from Judah’s nobility, these four served their foreign monarchs faithfully and with distinction, withholding their cooperation only when God’s primacy was at stake.

In the hyper-partisan environment I live in today, that’s difficult to relate to.

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Reflection by: Michael Miller

Some of the best movies I have seen are tragedies. Chinatown, The Godfather II, Memento, and The Prestige come to mind.

While I appreciate the craft that went into those films, to call them enjoyable is a stretch, because I like happy endings. It’s A Wonderful Life is dark, but tells a redemptive story that ends well.

The story of the fall of Judah is not a happy story, and it does not end happily. And while it ends with promised redemption, it’s difficult from this chapter to see when, let alone how that redemption will come about.

So is this just connecting material? Is it a gloomy Two Towers in the middle of a grand trilogy?

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Reflection by: Joel King

What a miracle!  Can you imagine going to bed, scared out of your wits because there is an army of over 184,000 well armed men surrounding your city, and then waking the next morning to the aftermath of that entire army being wiped out.  That must have been a sight to see!  Talk about seeing the Lord move in mighty ways!  Talk about a faith builder!  Wouldn’t you love to see the Lord move like that in your life?  Wait . . . before you answer that question think of what led up to that miracle.

First, Hezekiah and the country of Judah watched as their northern neighbors were conquered.  Then the Assyrians were able to make quick work of the stronghold cities of Judah.  In other words, their own natural resources, strength, and options had been depleted.

Second, the commander of the Assyrian army shows up and reminds them of the facts.  Fact one, their army was basically defeated.   Fact two, no other country had been able to stand up to the Assyrian army.  Fact three, even their “God worshipping” brothers of the south had been conquered.  Facts four and five, if they held out life would be miserable, but if they surrendered they were promised easy street.  In other words, trusting God didn’t make any sense; and it seemed a fool’s choice.

Ever been there?  Life is pressing in and all the signs are that God has allowed it to happen.  You review the facts and they all add up to taking matters into your own hands.  If you just trust yourself, do it the worlds way; maybe you can get out of the ordeal.  If you’re like me, not only have you been there but you probably chose to take matters in your own hands all the time wondering where God was in the whole situation.  Unfortunately, the answer to that question often is that God was right there ready to do something that only He could do, ready to do a miracle in a desperate situation, and right when he is ready to act we lose faith, lose hope, and lose out on seeing a bona fide miracle.

Usually the cost of experiencing God in such a big and real way is faith.  Faith is usually born out of a desperate situation where if God doesn’t show up you lose . . . big time.  But if you remain faithful to what He has called you to, even when it doesn’t make sense, He provides 100% of the time.  The question is not whether God still does miracles today, but whether we are willing to trust Him to do the miracles today.