Norwich Cathedral
The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.
Hebrews 1:3 NLT
In certain Christian worship traditions the Nicene Creed is recited as part of the liturgy. It is a succinct declaration of essential Christian belief and was created to counter a variety of ideas that were constantly being presented about the nature of God and God’s purpose in history. Often called the ‘Symbol of Faith’, it means a bringing together of evidence to establish the truth about God. In both Latin and Greek, the word ‘symbol’ means token for identification in contrast with something counterfeit.
For the Church, Jesus is the evidence that God’s sunshine overcomes everything that we are confronted with in life. I’m invited to place my confidence in the enduring sun that forever shines behind the darkest and deepest of cloud cover. I can only do this with an act of faith in something I may feel is distant from my current experience. In the storms of life, I become subject to extremes of emotion and the inner turmoil deeply disturbs and distresses me. I am always amazed at the exhaustion that accompanies such personal storms. Hence the Creed for which I am so grateful. For under pressure I run out of both the words and the will to pray and exclaim a spontaneous yell of: “Help me, Lord!”
Neither my faith nor its declaration may shift the clouds that hide the sunshine.
But I can choose to believe in its existence with nothing but my personal conviction.
How do you manage choices in times of trouble? Are you able to look towards the sunshine? Perhaps having the Creed memorised might prove useful in times of darkness. I hold onto the sunshine of God’s promise as the only true guarantor of my life, present and future.
QUESTION
Do you need to call out to Jesus today for help?
PRAYER
Lord, help me today [name a specific need]. I thank you that you have heard me, and choose to believe in the sunshine beyond the clouds.
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