God's Questions make us think about His Authority
March 25-29, 2024 | Always Peachy Devotionals | God's Questions Week 4
Who would you say is the authority in your chosen career field?
For me, on the fiction side, I would say it’s someone like Stephen King. The man can write anything and be a bestseller, and it’s not just because he’s a recognizable brand name. Like him or not, the man understands how to tell a compelling story.
But what about engineering? What about business? What about other forms of art or artistic expression? What about education? There are as many career fields as there are types of people in the world, and in each one there is usually someone who is considered the expert—or the authority.
So that begs the question: What makes someone an authority?
Now, we’re not exactly talking about THE authorities, although that’s something we’ll touch on at the end of this devotional. Law enforcement, government officials, and the like are all important authoritative figures, but when it comes to personal issues you care about, there is usually always someone who knows more about it than you do.
Maybe they’ve studied more. Maybe they’ve done more. Maybe they’re older. Maybe they’re wiser. Whatever it is, they have accomplished something that makes you respect their opinion on a subject.
If Da Vinci were still alive, we’d ask him about his art. Same with Van Gogh or Rembrandt.
Robert Goddard. Marie Curie. Nikolai Tesla. Louis Pasteur. Albert Einstein. George Washington Carver. Geniuses. They likely forgot more about science and technology and medicine than they were ever able to write down.
We respect them because they demonstrated proficiency in areas where we are less than proficient. They know more about a topic of study than we do, so why wouldn’t we listen to what they have to say about it?
If we do that for regular human beings out of history, why in heaven’s name don’t we do it for God? God isn’t an authority; He is the Authority. He is the source of all authority that is given to humanity.
So in this, the final week of our study on the questions God asks us, we are going to talk about God’s Authority. Many times He questions us to get our brains turning. It’s really easy to get stuck thinking that we are the masters of our fate, the captains of our souls, as the old poem “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley says. We’re not.
But we know who is, and this week we’re going to learn a little bit more about why His authority matters so much.
Mar 26 - Moses: “Who made men’s mouths?” (Exodus 4:11-12)
Mar 27 - Job: “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations?” (Job 38:4-7)
Mar 28 - Eli: “Why do you honor your sons more than me?” (1 Samuel 2:29)
Mar 29 - Jonah: “Is it right for you to be angry?” (Jonah 4:9)
Mar 30 - The Disciples: “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:13-16)
And, remember, you can get the full list of verses we’ve studied this month in a single handy-dandy PDF.
To me, it is a tremendous relief to answer to an authority figure who is always right. It gives me a sense of peace to know that I just have to obey. God will take care of the details because that’s what He does.
That’s not the case with human authorities, but that doesn’t make them any less important or any less in charge. When God set up human government, He endowed it with the authority to govern. Humanity has a fallen nature, and we will always tend toward lawlessness and chaos unless there is a system of laws in place to keep us in check.
That’s why government matters. Even if you don’t agree with them, God put them in place for a reason.
True, in many instances, some governments have forfeited their right to govern, and we are closer to that in America now than we have ever been. So I don’t know what the future holds, but what I do know is that as long as the government does not require me to break God’s Laws, I will continue to respect them.
That’s why a verse like Romans 13:1 is so important at times like these.
People may say that governments were different back in the day, but think about the government that Paul was under when he wrote this verse. Nero. The crazy Roman emperor who impaled Christians on stakes and set them on fire to light the pathways of his garden. Emperors in Rome loved coliseum fights that had Christians torn apart by wild animals, executed viciously, burned alive. And God still told His people to submit to their governing authorities.
We’re not there yet, guys. Not even close. So acknowledge that authority comes from God first. You can respect the people in authority over you even if you don’t agree with them. And above all else, pray for them. Without ceasing.
It’s too important not to.
Amy
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