Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord

For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.                ^{(Matthew 23:39)}

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. ^{(Matthew 7:7-8)}

Those who know the truth do not need to seek the truth but those who seek the Truth find the Truth. This common theme runs through all religion. Those who consider themselves learned and righteous feel they have no need of knowledge or forgiveness. Therefore they go on assured of salvation while despising the sinner. Yet, when one acknowledges sin and continues a lifelong search after Truth, he or she is rewarded abundantly.

But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.     ^{(Matthew 9:13)}

Until we say “Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord,” we can in no wise recognize Him. This is evident throughout scripture. How many Priests, Rabbis, Mullahs, Ministers or clergy of any religion have failed to recognize the one sent by God when they came face to face with Him? This is repeated throughout history. Those who believe they have perfect knowledge feel they need no more and therefore reject the Word of God even if they meet Him in person. Yet the true seeker recognizes His voice even if he or she is hearing His words hundreds of years after they were revealed.

But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: ^{(John 10:26-27)}

If we love the Lord, Our God, we thirst after His Knowledge while ever mindful of our own shortcomings. We love our neighbor and, desiring that he suffer no shame, we hide his deficiencies any praise his attributes, but for ourselves, we must scrutinized our lives and always be working on bringing it more in accordance with God’s Will. We have only one live to control and that is our own. If we do that in accordance with the will of God while intently listening for the Voice of God, we will hear Him calling us into the unity of the One Fold under the One Shepherd.

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.    ^{(John 10:16)}

Now we have a challenge set before us. Can we do as the Holy Spirit guides us? Will we follow the Spirit of Truth when he comes to us with All Truth? When we go forth in humbleness to accomplish that which God has ordained our reward is beyond our imagination. We are being watched from the Heavenly Realm and He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows our capabilities and when He says to try He knows we can succeed even if we feel the task is impossible. Yes, we need to look at our own shortcomings, but only so we can correct ourselves and learn how to lead a more Godly life. If we use these shortcomings as an excuse to fail, then we are not relying on our Almighty God to see us through. He will aid us so long as we try. He will bring a passage of His word to our minds when we need it most if we but take the time to read His Word.

Let your principal concern be to rescue the fallen from the slough of impending extinction, and to help him embrace the ancient Faith of God. Your behavior towards your neighbor should be such as to manifest clearly    the signs of the one true God, for ye are the first among men to be re-created by His Spirit, the first to adore and bow the knee before Him, the first to circle round His throne of glory. I swear by Him Who hath caused Me to reveal whatever hath pleased Him! Ye are better known to the inmates of the Kingdom on high than ye are known to your own selves. Think ye these words to be vain and empty? Would that ye had the power to perceive the things your Lord, the All-Merciful, doth see -- things that attest the excellence of your rank, that bear witness to the greatness of your worth, that proclaim the sublimity of your station! God grant that your desires and unmortified passions may not hinder you from that which hath been ordained for you. ^{(Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 316 - 317)}

Still there are some who doubt the Power of God. They see evil in the world and think that God has lost control. We find ourselves in difficulty and doubt that God can help us, however at such times we are taught to pray:

Is there any Remover of difficulties save God? Say: Praised be God! He is God! All are His servants, and all abide by His bidding!  ^{(The Báb, Baha'i Prayers, p. 27)}

 

        He says, “all abide by His bidding.” It is hard for us to understand. He gives us free will and with that free will, we suffer the consequences of  the decisions we make, yet we are powerless to work outside of His will. He has perfect knowledge and therefore knew everything we would do even before He created us, so we wonder why. Why does He allow wars? Why does He allow little children to be abused? We cannot understand because we only see this earthly plain, but in His perfect Wisdom and Knowledge, He knows how much pain we need to correct our ways. We suffer when we turn away from Him and He allows that suffering in a measure that will help us to turn back to Him.

Many of us, with imperfect knowledge, would like to advise God and tell Him a better way of doing things, but He has perfect knowledge and knows what is best for us.

I can already hear the cry of the people. They will tell me that I don’t know what happened to themselves or their loved ones and how could I believe that was the will of God and I need to make clear that all that happens is not necessarily His will, but since it is His will to give us free will, we must also be allowed to suffer the consequences of our actions. Therefore, when people commit terrible acts there is terrible consequences. Many times innocent victims are hurt, but the recompense for their hurt will come. If not in this life time, it will surely come. Those who did the evil things will have to live with the knowledge of the results of what they did and they too will receive the recompense for their actions. And yet, we have a forgiving God. When we learn to be forgiving we will suffer much less.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. ^{(Matthew 6:12)}

How are you feeling today? Let me know your thoughts. Leave a comment.