In Times Of Restlessnes Don't Loose Your Faith In God's Promises - Meditation for Today - Ex 32:15 - 24,30-34

It had been forty days since God summoned Moses to go up Mount Sinai to
receive his commandments for the people of Israel. That's a long time to wait for your leader to return-especially when he disappeared in a cloud of smoke and left you at the base of a mountain in the desert (Exodus 19:18-20). It's no wonder the people became restless! In their restlessness, they lost their faith in God's promise to be with them always, to protect them, and to care for them in their need. They wanted something to hold on to in Moses' absence, so they asked Aaron to
build a god who would be their leader. For the people, the golden calf Aaron
built was a symbol of God's strength and fertility, and gave them something
to help focus their worship and to help them feel safe and secure in Moses'
absence. So in a sense, the people had not stopped believing in God. They had lost
their faith in his kindness and provision. If God was going to make himself
absent, they reasoned, we'll just try to conjure him back again by creating
an image of him and worshipping it. Maybe he'll be so impressed with our
ingenuity, they thought, that he will show up again. Let's try to apply this reading to our own lives. None of us would seriously consider building a physical idol to replace Jesus. But we can lose our focus and let our trust in God slip away. We may still believe in God but lose sight of God's faithfulness to his promises-even of his faithfulness to us. So while we are waiting for God to respond, we try to lure him back bybeing extra good or making grand promises or deals with him. And as a
result, we end up creating a "false God" out of the true God-a God who bends
to our wills rather than one who forms us according to his love, compassion,
and infinite wisdom. Don't get caught off guard! Instead, test your faith. Challenge yourself to believe, even if God seems to be absent. You can be sure that if you do,
you'll find a great reward when he "returns"!"Lord, help me to have the faith that you are with me always, even when you seem to be absent. Lord, help my unbelief!"

Psalm 106:19-23; Matthew 13:31-35

Today's meditation was forwarded to me by my dear niece Teresa.