An Irritated and Loving God

Daily Lectionary Readings
Job 38: 1-11
Matthew 17: 14-21
Acts 2: 43-47

God is so faithful to us and, yet, we forget our morning prayers or have the faith of a mustard seed not believing that God will do as God promises. I appreciate the image of the irritated God in Job and the aggravated Jesus in Matthew. It truly does remind me of parenting. As we step on a lego left in the middle of the floor we shout in aggravation, “How many times do I have to tell you…?” And, sometimes, when our children are whiny and they want what they want and they simply don’t understand the big picture of bills and work and adult responsibilities, we just go on a rant as God does when he is fed up with Job’s lamentations. I suppose I like these images of Jesus and God because 1.) I don’t feel as bad about my aggravations as a parent, and 2.) I know how very much I love my children even when I lose my cool with them. If God and Jesus love us even that much, and the Bible tells us they love us even more than that, then there truly is nothing that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8: 38-39)

Loving and forgiving father,

Thank you for all that you have done for me even when I forget my morning prayers because my routine has changed, even when I treat someone poorly because of my selfish feelings or needs. I am grateful that you love me as a father loves his child.

Amen

Cross-posted from bigroundwindow.blogspot.com