Inspired by Micah 5:1-5a
“And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; and he shall be the one of peace.” Micah 4-5a
Hunger. War. Greed. Injustice. Corruption. These are the challenges that Micah and his contemporaries faced, and these are the challenges that we ourselves face. And we ask, just as Micah did, what can be done?
The answer, simply put, is God. Micah’s prediction of the coming Savior in this passage (Christians have always believed this passage to be referring to Jesus) describes someone who will feed the people with the strength of the Lord and the majesty of the name of the Lord. Then security and peace will reign throughout the earth. Not so simple is how to live that out today. Jesus has already come and done all that, yet we’re still living with the same struggles Micah lived with. What went wrong?
Nothing went ‘wrong.’ Jesus fed his flock the prescribed strength and majesty, but he did not force-feed us. Many have chosen not to accept what Jesus has to offer, and have chosen instead to eat the food of greed, injustice, and corruption, because they believe those to have greater personal rewards. But Jesus is still offering to give us his grace, and living in his grace frees us from bondage to those things that would destroy us. The rulers of this world can only deny us what they first give us; if we do not embrace what the world embraces, then we cannot be denied the peace and security of knowing that we have been fed with the strength and majesty of the Lord who is, who was, and who is to come.
Let us pray. Savior God, you have offered us your peace. Continue to feed us your grace as we struggle to live in a world that chooses not to accept it, that we may bear witness to your better way. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
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