2023_09_25 Insight Post- Kim Feld

  -   September 25, 2023

This week’s reading-  Lamentations 1, John 2, Psalm 44, Hebrews 10

Yesterday was quite a day at New Hope. We baptized a total of 13 people – 3 at the 9am and 10 at the 11am. It was a beautiful display of God at work in our midst, including children, teens, and adults. Multiple times, the shared stories highlighted a God who was at work in pursuit of a relationship with His children even when they were far from Him. When they couldn’t make life work independently, they turned to God, realizing He was already moving toward them.

In this week’s reading, Psalm 44 begins with the people recounting what God had done for their ancestors. Later in the psalm, the emphasis is the people’s cry for God to rescue them. Still, the first portion of the psalm resonated with me after reflecting on the baptism stories. Let’s take a look:

O God, we have heard it with our own ears—
our ancestors have told us
of all you did in their day,
in days long ago:
² You drove out the pagan nations by your power
and gave all the land to our ancestors.
You crushed their enemies
and set our ancestors free.

God is given all the credit for His defeat of their enemies. They didn’t possess the land on their own; God rescued them because He loved them:

They did not conquer the land with their swords;
it was not their own strong arm that gave them victory.
It was your right hand and strong arm
and the blinding light from your face that helped them,
for you loved them (Psalm 44:3, NLT).  

God is still in the rescue business today. Look at what Paul says in Galatians 1:3-4, NLT:

³ May God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. ⁴ Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. ⁵ All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.

Our baptisms yesterday didn’t highlight people who saved themselves by their strength. The focus was on our God, who has been pursuing and rescuing any who recognize their need for Him. When we are at the end of our rope, God is there, waiting for us to run out of strategies and ways to make our lives work independently. When we are the most unlovable, God sees us, knows ALL about us, and loves us anyway. His unfailing love is the source of our salvation.