Tuesday, May 5
True Faith—True God
"I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols”
(Isaiah 42:8).
There is the true God. And there are false gods. Martin Luther’s Large Catechism teaches: “What does it mean to have a god? or, what is God? Answer: A god means that from which we are to expect all good and to which we are to take refuge in all distress, so that to have a God is nothing else than to trust and believe Him from the whole heart; as I have often said that the confidence and faith of the heart alone make both God and an idol. If your faith and trust be right, then is your god also true; and, on the other hand, if your trust be false and wrong,
then you have not the true God; for these two belong together, faith and God.”
The true God is the only One that can handle the load of being a secure refuge and constant source of trust. Everything else will ultimately fail. What am I relying on for peace of mind and hope during the present crisis? In the broader scope of things we might find ourselves relying on medical technology, or government, the free market. In the personal sphere it might be our family, bank account, job, insurance, support network. Then there are the pleasures and amusements that can distract us or give us momentary relief. All these outward things are gifts from God. He created them and uses them to bless and keep us. But when we forget Who is behind these “masks” we are prone to becoming disillusioned and mistrustful, because none of these things is enough in itself to sustain us. Our trust and hope are in God, the giver of every good and perfect gift.
Prayer: I give you thanks, heavenly Father, because you are the source of everything good. You are my refuge and strength. You promise to keep in perfect peace whomever has trusted in you. Today I resolve to trust in you, through Christ Jesus, your Son. You know what I need before I ask, yet you bid me to come to you and ask, so that I might increase in my personal knowledge of you, the true and only God. These are my needs for today . . . . Speak to me. Lead me. Show me your ways. Enable me to join you in your work and to glorify you by serving others with a kind and generous attitude.
