Like a huge flashing red light, the passage causes my brain to slam on the brakes and stop.
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; other say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Johan, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.” Matthew 16:13-17
The part that grabs me is “Blessed are you…for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.” This is not the first time this summer that I have been confronted with such a message.
Several weeks ago I was perplexed by something that I thought God might be trying to telling me. As I was talking it through with my community, someone asked me the simple question, “Have you asked God for the answer?” My response was basically, “Uh, no.” I’d been too busy trying to figure it out on my own. I’d been doing intellectual gymnastics trying to puzzle out the answer.
Since then, God has prodded me with variations on the same theme. I’ve learned that I tend to not give God a chance to reveal himself. I tend to rely on my intellect alone to try to figure things out.
It’s not that God wants me to abandon thought and reasoning, or study and application. It is that He is calling me to seek him first, to stop and listen for his voice. To recognize as truth his divine revelation.
Father, Thank you for being patient with me and for continuing to draw me into a deeper relationship with you. I know that you want to reveal yourself to me. I want to let you. Help me to be open to hearing your voice and to knowing your presence.
Diona
Sixty-six books in a year 