Holy Priest-Martyr Timothy, Bishop of Prussa (361-63).
Apostles’ Fast.
Romans 9:18-33. Matthew 11:2-15.
Read Romans 9:18-33
The Apostle Paul highlights two critical and fundamental truths concerning our walk in faith and relationship with God. These two truths are both immensely liberating and possibly very difficult to accept.
The first of these truths is that the Lord always initiates relationship with us and always chooses us for union with Him. Without the Lord’s will and action, we can never know Him or His will. In other words, we are completely dependent on Him—even more than an infant is on its parents (at least the infant can breath on its own).
This is liberating for us because it releases us from the burden of trying to go after or finding God. He finds us! He draws us close to Him! What an amazing gift of such a good and merciful God.
While the Lord always initiates relationship with us and we cannot know Him without His prior action, we have a important role in this dynamic. This brings us to the second truth: in order for a fruitful and lasting relationship with the Lord, we need to respond in faith, in abiding trust and hope in Him. This faith is a response to the Lord’s initiative.
This is liberating for us because it releases us from the burden of trying to appease or impress God by following a set of divine ordinances. Rules and laws do exist (although in a different way than in the Old Testament) and we do need to follow them, but this is because they are designed to shape our hearts towards a deeper and more authentic faith—and the faith is what’s really important.
The challenge for us is that this means we need to give up control. We cannot go and find God—He finds us. We cannot impress God by doing good—we grow close to Him by our faith. If we are attached to control or to any sense of being in charge when it comes to our relationship with God, we will undoubtedly falter. And since we all suffer from the effects of original sin, we all have a temptation towards this desire for control.
But be free. Be liberated from the need to control. Take a step back and allow the Lord to lead you and guide you. Allow Him to show you His mercy, His love, His goodness. Seek after the Lord’s heart in prayer, in reading scripture, in fasting, in good deeds. He will bless you with peace and with joy and you will live full of Divine Life.