Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Come now, let us argue it out, says the Lord.”
NL Daily Devotion for Monday, June 5, 2023
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
What a beautiful statement of covenant relationship! God is ticked off at the people. The people are ignoring God. Instead of squashing Israel like a bug, God invites them into an argument! I can’t tell you how much I love this. “Bring it,” God says. “Let’s have it out.”
This is so important to remember not just when we’re the ones who’ve messed up yet again and God is calling us to account, but when God is the one who has failed us and we get to call God to account. “What gives, God? My life is a mess!” God can take it. God wants us to engage, to struggle, to wrestle as Jacob wrestled.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s not like I think I’m equal to God in any sense of the word. But God comes down and meets me where I am when I’m a mess (which is more often than I care to admit) and invites me to hash things out with them. And I love that. Because it reminds me that God is right there, immediate, present, and ready to engage in mutual discussion. God loves me and wants the best for me and is willing to let me rage and kick and scream about it so I can get through it and back on an even keel. My relationship with God is a two-way street, always, and it’s beautiful.
Do I let myself argue with God? Do I ever win?
