Friday, August 5, 2022

 

Friday, August 5, 2022


Psalms 82; 84


Hosea 10


Romans 8:18-27


Observance: Oswald, king and martyr



...the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.



One of the greatest movies ever made about the folly of man's hubris is the original Jurassic Park. (We ignore the multitude of lesser quality sequels.) There is a particular scene, after the guests have arrived, where they are sitting around the dinner table discussing the ethics and implications of the Park. It is a brilliant example of base, pop-metaphysics and Hollywood armchair philosophy. However, one line from Jeff Goldblum's character (the mathematician specialising in chaos theory) stands out: “Nature finds a way”. We are Christians, not secular materialists, so our God is the living God, not the seemingly chaotic forces of nature. Nevertheless, we recognise that for all our human designs at control, they will ultimately fail in the face of God's will.


We read about how Samaria refused suzerainty of God's anointed king: this rebellious attitude was also reflected in their “mere words and empty covenants” which resulted in a culture of litigation; lawsuits “springing up like poisonous weeds”. This opposition to God's design leads to it's natural conclusion; where the mathematician might say “nature finds a way”, we would say “God's will be done”.


Paul's words for us today also speak to a single-minded purpose being made manifest, first in Christ, then in us, His followers, and culminating in the redemption of all creation. Two things we can take from his encouragement to us: the first is that our prayer life is in the Spirit of God. Let's not get caught up on the intricacies of the relationship of the Trinity, but rather rejoice in this simple truth that since God's Spirit dwells in us, God knows exactly what we need when we pray, even if we don't have the right words. We simply need to be present in that relationship. The second word of encouragement is the inevitability of the Kingdom of God being made complete. As a man, Paul was probably thinking of the pain of labour. However, speak to anyone who is a mother, and they will tell you if there is one thing to know about labour, and therefore, God's bringing about of the kingdom, is this: it's happening, and there's nothing anyone can do to stop it.

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