The Lord is with us like a Dread Warrior!
I hear many whispering. Terror is on every side! Denounce him! Let us denounce him! Say all my familiar friends, watching for my fall. Prophet Jeremiah proclaimed:
But the Lord is with me as a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble, they will not overcome me. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed O Lord of hosts, who test the righteous, who see the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have I committed my cause.
Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of evildoers. (Jeremiah 20:10-13)
Ps. 18 urged us to acclaim God and channel all of our challenges and pains to Him:
In my anguish I called to the Lord, and he heard me. Always know that: Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life; you have the words of eternal life.
The Truth that is Hard to Bear!
In the Gospel of (John 10:31-42) The Jews took up stones to stone Jesus. Jesus answered them, I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of these do you stone me? The Jews answered him, We stone you for no good work but for blasphemy; because you, being a man, make yourself God....
I am the Son of God, If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.
What to Ponder On
Actions speak louder than words That is what Jesus implies in the Gospel. The Jews accused him of blasphemy because he claimed to be the Son of God. They understood that rightly to mean that he was a divine Person, equal to God. In their mind, that was blasphemy, and the punishment for it was death. Jesus invited them to look at his actions, the miracles he performed. Who else could do such things if not a divine person? If what he said about himself did not convince them, then his actions should convince them. The Jews were not impressed. They still wanted to arrest him and have him put to death. Every day Gods works abound in the lives of believers. We need faith to be able to see them and recognize them as coming from him.