Reading With the People of God #13 Nicene Creedਨਮੂਨਾ

Focus of the month: Nicene Creed

We believe in one God,

the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,

the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father [and the Son],
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Trust in the Lord

Here in this story we see King Hezekiah praying to the Lord to grant him and the people of Judah safety as the king of Assyria (Sennacherib) is threatening to destroy them. Hezekiah is at the end of his rope; he has nowhere else to go and receives a letter from Sennacherib (2 Kings 19:8-13) claiming that if all these other kingdoms with all of their gods couldn't stop him, how on earth could the God of the Israelites be any different? This is even more terrifying for Hezekiah, as in the years prior, Sennacherib's father had captured the northern kingdom of Israel and deported the Israelites.

In this story the Lord heard his prayers and struck down the Assyrians; it says in verse 35, "And that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all the dead bodies." God does not leave or forsake him; God protects him and the people of Judah, but it is not always the case for all of us. God has a plan, and that plan may not work out in the way you would like it to. But have faith; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says,

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances."

Even if it feels like God is not there, he is. Job goes through many trials, but continues to have faith that the Lord's plan is there! Paul, even when he is in prison, rejoices, for he is doing it in the name of the Lord! Pray all the time, give thanks all the time, for he is good! He will never leave you nor forsake you! God has got your back!

* Primer contributed by Andrew Simon, Middle School Intern at Cornerstone Church of Chowchilla.