Gò0dNews for Life
Anchors For Our Faith ay is a busy month. Schools are winding down, and students are looking forward to summer vacation. Mother’s Day is a focus of activity, as is Memorial Day. Also, my wife and I will celebrate our 40th anniversary, and my mother will celebrate her 91st birthday. As we participate in these special days, we take time to remember those key events and people who have shaped our lives. We express gratitude for God’s loving care for us during times of difficulty as well as times of blessing. We need, however, to do more than simply remember. This remembering needs to form a foundation of expectations for the future. We remember how our mothers have blessed us, and we think about how we can bless them in the days ahead. While my wife and I can look back with fondness over the last forty years, that rich history together forms the basis for hopeful expectations for the years to come. As we remember those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom, we commit to living lives that honor that sacrifice. In the book of Numbers, we find the people of God wandering in the wilderness as a result of their disobedience to following God’s direction at Kadesh Barnea. Following the experience, God gives the people an interesting command: “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Give the following instructions to the people of Israel: Throughout the generations to come, you must make tassels for the hems of your clothing and attach them with a blue cord. When you see the tassels, you will remember and obey all the commands of the Lord instead of following your own desires and defiling yourselves, as you are prone to do. The tassels will help you remember that you must obey all my commands and be holy to your God’” (Numbers 15:37-40, NLT).
26 // May 2022
The tassels of this prayer shawl, or tallit, serve as a reminder that one is to make a conscious choice to follow God’s commandments in every area of life. From Exodus through Deuteronomy, God’s people are constantly admonished to remember God’s loving care for his people, his faithfulness, as well as his commandments which are to shape their lives. They are also directed to remember their sins and their failures. This remembering serves as both a guide and warning for them as they prepare to enter the promised land. The past two years of the pandemic have brought challenges to our lives that most of us never expected. The loss of friends and loved ones along with the sacrifices we made to keep our families safe will be etched in our memories for many years to come. But as we look to the future, there is other remembering to be done. Remember the times when God proved faithful even when our faith had begun to wane. Remember his loving care that supported us through times of struggle and heartache. Remember the joys of receiving blessings beyond our expectations. Those pivotal experiences when we saw God at work in our lives can function for us as the tassels on the tallit. They are anchor points for our faith that inspires us to daily renew our commitment to following God’s direction and living our lives for His glory and not our own. When we are tempted to waiver in our faith or wonder if God is still on our side, look at your “tassels” and find strength and encouragement to face the future with confidence. “For in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
About The Author
M
by Dr. Alan Hix
Dr. Alan Hix is an Associate Professor of Christian Studies at Shorter University. In addition to being an educator, he has served churches as a pastor, been involved in mission trips to Africa, Canada, and Alaska, and participated in archaeological excavations in Israel for several years.
