Scripture: Exodus 32:1–34:10; Deuteronomy 6:10–25
Key Scripture: Exodus 32:1–24, 30; 34:1–6; Deuteronomy 6:10–12
Key Idea: The story of the golden calf shows how quickly anxiety and fear can lead us to turn from God. The story also shows the infinite measure of God’s grace, mercy, and steadfast love.
PW Marketing Associate Carissa Herold reflects on Lesson 8.
One of the unexpected benefits of committing to writing this blog series on An Abiding Hope has been my discovery of something subtle but, well, I’m finding, quite real. As I ponder the task at hand over (usually) days or weeks, I have taken notice of the sense of a certain leading, if you will, of my thoughts. As I have explored and wandered, unexpected things have popped up, seemingly at random. I have drifted into interesting and unexpected conversations; have recalled long ago discussions and books; or am given the gift of that apt quotation or thought from seemingly nowhere! Yes, of course, I am a person of faith and as such, I should be at least a bit comfortable with the idea that this sense of being lead is not magical thinking but holy hints (my mother-in-law calls them “God winks”). Or perhaps I am simply taking notice and seeing things anew.
So here’s something out of the ordinary. Today is March 17, St. Patrick’s Day, and here I sit, in my bright green sweater (I don’t like to be pinched!), with blog 8. My initial plan was to write about prayer. I really respond to what Janice writes about prayer and had considered beginning my blog with her words: “Moses’ effective appeal then leads us to an insight about our own relationship with God. If, as this text suggests, God truly listens to us and responds to our intercessions, then prayer is a serious responsibility on our end. While we may be more comfortable with the idea of a God whose mind never changes, it is important to see that the Hebrew tradition includes at least one theological strand that says God listens to us in profound ways.” (p. 73)
The outline for blog 8 is formulated in my mind, just waiting to be written. My plan—to lift up our amazing connection with God who, like a loving parent who knows and has experienced so much, still lovingly and attentively listens and responds to a young child’s musings and desires and understanding of the world—has taken a bit of detour. Because for some inexplicable reason (probably because today is St. Patrick’s Day and thinking about all things Celtic is probably not unreasonable), my mind has drifted to a book we studied a while ago entitled Wild Goose Chase: Reclaim the Adventure of Pursuing God by Mark Batterson. In this book, Batterson likens the Holy Spirit to a wild goose. Stay with me here! God loves sparrows and wild geese too! Batterson writes in the introduction, “The Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit that has always intrigued me. They call [the Holy Spirit] An Geadh-Glas, or ‘the Wild Goose.’ I love the imagery and implications. The name hints at the mysterious nature of the Holy Spirit. Much like a wild goose, The Spirit of God cannot be tracked or tamed. An element of danger and an air of unpredictability surround [God].”
The premise of the book, as I recall, distanced by a couple of years from a thorough reading, is that the Wild Goose invites the chase! If we choose of our own free will, we can take up the chase and go where we are lead. And although we tend to like to keep our world neat and in order, and our understanding of God safe and predictable, the nature of the Eternal One is anything but. Batterson writes, “We try to make God fit within the confines of our cerebral cortex. We try to reduce the will of God to the logical limits of our left brain. But the will of God is neither logical nor linear. It is downright confusing and complicated.”
Complicated and confusing, indeed! Our God is an amazing God. We are invited into relationship and our prayers are heard. But who among us cannot point to a time in our lives when we have felt abandoned or unheard? Lost? Alone? Perplexed? I can only imagine Zipporah’s thoughts as she summoned up the courage to appeal to God to save Moses!
Just as a young child cannot always understand the seemingly capricious nature of her loving parent, we can never know the ways of our God and perhaps that is a good thing. Being scolded for chasing a ball into the middle of a busy intersection may seem severe to a child so focused on play that she had neglected her parent’s many warnings about never venturing into the street. Or perhaps a parent’s seeming aloofness after a busy day may strike a child as unfathomable. Or perhaps my cerebral cortex is working overtime, trying once again to make mortal sense of God’s confusing and complicated nature? Truly, isn’t it easy to slip into that comfortable mode of finding a way to neatly explain God’s nature? As I chase the Wild Goose, I will try to remember to live in gratitude and love, and keep the lines of communication open and clear!
Until next time—Carissa
