Share Your Story September 14, 2014 I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly; I do not seal my lips, LORD, as you know. I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help. I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness from the great assembly. — Psalm 40:9–10 In Psalm 40, King David referenced an obligation on every individual who had received a miracle in his or her life. David wrote this psalm just after he himself was miraculously saved by God. He thanked God for salvation in the beginning of the psalm and asked for further divine protection in the future at the end of the psalm. In the middle of the psalm, however, David also wrote: “I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly; I do not seal my lips . . . .I do not hide your righteousness . . . I speak of your faithfulness . . . . I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness from the great assembly.” David confirmed that he had made known God’s miracles in public, and this is something that we can all learn from. Telling others about God’s miracles is deeply embedded in the Jewish tradition. The focal point of Passover is retelling the Exodus story and how God heard the cries of the children of Israel and rescued them from Egypt with great miracles. On Hanukkah we light our menorahs in our front windows so that everyone will be reminded of the great miracle that God performed for the Maccabees -- how a few defeated many and a small flask of oil lasted for eight days. When God gives us the gift of a miracle, we must give Him the gift of sharing our experiences. In this way we connect people with the power of God and inspire faith in God. As befitting our tradition, I’d like to mention the many miracles that Israel experienced recently during the conflict with Hamas terrorists. Throughout the tumultuous summer, many miracles took place. Rockets narrowly missed homes. A rocket landed in a backyard, but didn’t explode. An Israeli soldier was shot, felt the impact, but discovered that the bullet had been absorbed by a grenade that he was wearing. In what Israelis termed a double miracle, the grenade did not explode when pierced by the bullet. However, the most amazing miracle is that the kidnapping and killing of three Jewish teens in June led to the war in July which, in turn, led to the discovery and foiling of a momentous terror plot set to happen in September during Rosh Hashanah. This terror plot had been a decade in the making. Tunnels were dug underground in secrecy and were about to be used to carry out what would have been the most deadly terror attack in Israeli history. By way of yet another miracle, Israel was saved. Are you inspired by these stories of God’s salvation? I hope so. Now share your stor about what God has done for you. It’s our privilege, our duty, and a great act of service to proclaim His saving acts. With prayers for shalom, peace,
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 07:06:51 +0000