Ron Buford: The Infinite Journey (Proverbs 1:1-7)

"Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge." - Proverbs 1:1-7

This biblical text is on my top ten list of Bible verses to remember. Here fear does not mean "to be afraid." but something more akin to "be in awe."

At a meeting with La Selva Beach Community Church UCC, I met Dick Kanto, who designs some of astronomy's newest and most sophisticated instruments. When asked what recent discovery excites him most, he said new instruments have just revealed that an area of space astronomers previously thought to be strangely dark, has turned out to be filled with stars.

These stars did not just appear. They were always there. 

Belief only in "the stuff" we see, atheism, fear of the unknown, are all sheer folly not only for science, but also for society and self. Through the lens of faith, possibility, and hypothesis, we become our best selves discovering stars in places seemingly devoid of light. 

Henri Nouwen compared God to an elegant trapeze artist, "The Great Catcher." So if you feel unloved, hopeless, overwhelmed, or like a failure, try a new faith lens. Catch the unbounded Light of a God breaking forth, grasping our lives, from despair, swinging them to new heights of possibility. 

Prayer

Gracious God, help us to be masters of ourselves in all we know and do. When we reach the end of what we know and have power to do, release us from fear of the unknown to faith-filled flight into the arms of The Great Catcher. Swing us once again to hope, new vision, creation, and possibility for our families, friends, the world, and ourselves. Amen.

From UCC's StillSpeaking devotionals.Visit UCC.org