Reflections on Truthናሙና

One of the key tenets of the Christian faith is that the God who created the universe has revealed himself to us, his creatures. We don't believe in a God who set the universe in motion and chooses to remain distant and hide himself from us. According to the Scriptures, God wants to know us and for us to know him. He revealed himself to Abraham, promising him that he and his descendants would be blessed and would bless the world (Genesis 12:1-3). He continued to speak through prophets to guide, warn, challenge, and comfort his people. And most significantly, he spoke through his Son, Jesus, "the Word of God" (John 1), "the image of the invisible God" (Colossians 1:15), "the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being" (Hebrews 1:3). This is the story presented in the Bible. It is a record of how God has revealed himself to humans in actual lives, in real history, and how they have responded and passed on this knowledge to new generations.

God speaks! He speaks to us. And he speaks to us clearly – it’s not like a cryptic crossword that only some can untangle. Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened" (Matt 7:7-8 NIV 2011). In his wisdom and goodness, God has chosen to speak to us primarily through his word, the Bible. I think that we in New Zealand have forgotten how significant it is to have God’s word available to us, not to mention in numerous different versions for us to pick and choose from. The Bible is the main way that we can know who God is and how he relates to the world, and we are incredibly privileged to be able to read and understand it.

Prayer:

Thank you, loving God, for speaking to us and not hiding yourself from us. How amazing it is that you, Creator of the ever-expanding universe, want us to know you. Thank you for giving us the Bible, and for revealing your Son to us through it. Help us to trust in your goodness and love for us and help us to get to know your word better every day. Amen.