Removing a tree from the road
It seems to me from an Old Testament point of view that the people were actually afraid of God. It’s as if they saw God as an angry teacher walking about with a cane in his hand, looking for places where people were doing wrong so that He could punish them.
Our image of God, however, is one of a God overflowing with love, who would do anything to have his children with Him. God is within reach of mankind. We can talk to God. We can open our hearts to Him. We can tell Him our deepest secrets. We can make known our desires to Him through prayers of supplication and thanks. And He hears. He knows every little thing about us.
Jesus made all of this possible. Jesus made it possible for man to come close to God again. The picture no longer shows the teacher with the cane in hand, but rather a grandpa impatiently waiting for his children and grandchildren to arrive. And all the treats hidden just behind the door.
Our picture was changed by Jesus who broke down the barriers between us and God by dying for our sins. 18He treated us as equals, and so made us equals. Through him we both share the same Spirit and have equal access to the Father.
Jesus opened the door to God again. God came and removed all the obstructions erected by man himself.
I still remember the day I was visiting farming friends on their farm. It was winter and a big storm was raging outside. Sheets of rain came rushing in parallel with the ground and the wind pulled the big trees to and fro. It was not late when we left, but not far from my friend our fears came true. A big tree was lying across the road. A long line of vehicles had already formed on the other side of the tree and I recognised other guests of my friend at the head of the line.
What now? I thought to myself: I do have a big bakkie and I have a strong rope for emergencies. In the pouring rain I managed to get the rope around the tree and then I switched on the bakkie’s diff lock. The wheels spun a couple of times and the bakkie first slipped to one side and then to the other, but the tree came too.
My friend’s guests waved thankfully and all the other people behind them as well. The road that had been blocked was open again, but someone had to remove the tree first before they could get through.
That is what Jesus did. He came and opened the road between us and God. He removed all the obstructions that we had put in the road through the years. Now there is nothing between us and God.
God is in my reach and yours. The question is whether you are going to be serious about reaching God.
Scripture:
Reflection
Do you believe that Jesus opened the road?
Do you live close to God?
Do others see Him in your life?
Prayer
Lord, You do everything from your side. You even remove the mess that we created by dying on the cross. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Please help me to get up and live close to You. Amen