Reflection - Divine Stability

“Stability” is one of those words that could have a variety of meanings, depending on the context in which it is used. If we think of what people like to call 'the realities' of our life, and of life issues, God often becomes not only a last resort, but very often an irrelevant intrusion. But consider Isaiah 33: 1-9. As the writer pondered the future of his country, he wrote: 'How great the Lord is!  He rules over everything.  He will fill Jerusalem with justice and integrity and give stability to the nation ....' Or in another version, 'he will be the stability of your times.' Some of Isaiah’s words could have been written yesterday!

There can be no doubt that ambassadors and peace envoys have their occasional successes, but in spite of that, and in spite of the UN, our world does not know peace and stability in a significant sense. The basic reason for the fragility of peace and goodwill, is the human factor. People have vested interests and selfish aims; so rarely is the overall good the motivating factor. Even when we turn to the church there are always those who are producing schemes 'guaranteed to renew the church'.

Our hope is in God. God will be the stability of our times. Let that affirmation ring out through the church, and permeate our world. Some will say it is just 'pious humbug', and that we are bound to use human systems and human leaders. Of course, we use human systems and need human leaders; we use them, and so does God. The point is the level of our ultimate confidence, whether finally we are depending on those human systems, or whether, as our faith would affirm, our confidence is in God. 'On whom, or on what, do we ultimately depend?' – that's the question.

If we as a people can focus on God, and understand God’s purpose for us, we can know a rich faith, giving meaning and value to life. But more than that, individual needs and differences are seen in a new light; there is forgiveness and reconciliation at the heart of the Christian faith. As we move closer to God's ideal, so we move closer to each other.

Christians have a particular responsibility if this hope for divine stability is to be realised; not only that, but through the gifts of God we are enabled to respond as God calls us.  There can be frustrations. We can seem so insignificant within a national or international context that we respond by doing nothing. But in the end, our life is part of the whole; or, as Fosdick said, “we are often waiting for God to do for us, what God is waiting to do through us”. Our responsibility, in broad terms at least, must be clear.

When we watch the news on TV, or read the papers, and think what a mess the world is in, and how unstable and fragile human society has become, let us reflect and remember that we have a part, albeit a small part, in producing a divine stability in the world. With our hope in God, we will know there will be no stability apart from God. 'How great the Lord is!'  He will fill our nation with justice and integrity; he will be the stability of our times.

By Rev Clive W Ayre