The Lord is our God, the Lord alone!

The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! (Deuteronomy 6:4)

In the ancient world, dealing with the divine was a bit like going to a government office building. If you didn’t get in the right line, you risked wasting hours and hours of your day trying to get your petition answered. If you had a problem with the weather, you needed to make sure you visited the shrine of the god Hadad. But if you wanted to conceive a baby, you’d have to go to Ishtar’s altar. Not to mention, the enmities and squabbling between the gods were as complicated as any interoffice turf war!

Against this bewildering landscape of deities, the Jews stood out in sharp relief. They worshipped only one God. What’s more, he was the only God, the One behind all the forces of nature. There were no other gods jostling for power or telling him what he could and could not do. 

Today’s reading is a declaration known to the Jews as the Shema Yisrael (Hear, O Israel). It captures the essence of their faith in an omnipotent, omniscient, singular God. And it’s an understanding that is just as important to our own faith. We, too, believe in one God who comes to us as a Trinity of divine Persons. 

We believe in a God who is above all else, a God who is not subject to some other more powerful force and not involved in petty squabbles with his fellow “gods.” And yet, where the ancient Canaanites had their pantheon of bickering gods and goddesses, we sometimes have to deal with forces that we might believe God isn’t quite equal to.

Is there something you think God can’t help you with? Money? Family troubles? Your own shortcomings or lack of faith? Whatever it is, remember that the God we believe in has the ultimate power. Nothing is outside his domain. He holds all things together!

So the next time you find yourself waylaid by cares, frightened or frustrated or angry, take heart! Whatever is troubling you, God is infinitely capable of dealing with it. Not only that, but he is eager to help you. Trust in him because “the Lord is our God, the Lord alone!” 

(Deuteronomy 6:4)

“Jesus, I praise you for your immense power and majesty. Thank you for your love and your dominion over every area of my life.”

from wau.org