Lent - March 18

Psalm 66, 67, 19, 46

Genesis 48:8-22

Romans 8:11-25

John 6:27-40

Almost every day in my job I deal with relationships experiencing challenges of one kind or another. Friendships, professional connections, or romantic pairings come with myriad opportunities for misunderstanding and hurt be they intentional or accidental. Such is the nature of human interaction.

How much moreso are the challenges in the relationship between humankind and God?

Each of today’s passages relates to the relationship between God and humankind throughout most of Biblical history. From Israel granting his blessing in Genesis to Paul declaring the spirit of adoption in Romans, God’s direct connection to His creation shows times of health and times of stress.

Psalm 66 gives us a clear picture of the connection between God and His people at both the universal and individual level. The psalmist begins with a call to worship then tells why the people should worship in a CliffsNotes history of the Jewish people. The psalmist then declares his worship intentions and concludes the psalm by recounting his personal experience with God.

Despite the challenges that come in relationships, God strongly desires a relationship with us. Jesus, as He does many times in the Gospels, commands that people have that connection to God. John 6:29 says, “Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”’

Let us, reflect on the challenges we have in our relationship with God and search within our hearts whether we are doing the work of God.