Today’s 19th Annotation Scripture is from Deuteronomy:
“But I said to you, ‘Have no dread or fear of them.
The LORD, your God, who goes before you, will himself fight for you, just as he took your part before your very eyes in Egypt,
as well as in the desert, where you saw how the LORD, your God, carried you, as a man carries his child, all along your journey until you arrived at this place.’
Despite this, you would not trust the LORD, your God,
who journeys before you to find you a resting place–by day in the cloud, and by night in the fire, to show the way you must go.”
God’s passion seems to outrank God’s wrath. God constantly tries to inspire the community and offer himself for our protection. Here in Deuteronomy, God claims through Moses that he will fight for them in the new land that he tells his people to occupy. Nobody believes it. The occupied land is inhabited by people stronger and swifter. So they grumble in their tents.
How easily do we give up on God? How often do we not believe that God will be with us in the struggle for justice? How often might we choose to grumble instead of trusting that with hard work we can overcome any obstacle with God’s help?
This 19th annotation retreat is really helping me with my own self-confidence. I feel stronger and more fearless about things without being arrogant about it (I hope!). I’m able to believe in myself more and more and am not always worried about what others think. I’m able to pray more easily in troubled times and seek to praise God in the good times.
Why have I not given God this much time before?
Perhaps in that is the answer to our titled question today? What’s God gotta do? God is already doing. It’s up to notice what God has done and to have the courage to believe that God will continue to do it.