Trusting God Ex 16:2-4, 12-15; Ps 78:3-4, 23-24, 25, 54; Eph 4:17, 20-24; Jn 6:24-35 Today’s readings deal with doubt and trusting God. These are issues that will be a lifelong challenge for many people. In our reading from the book of Exodus (6:2-5, 12-15), we see the Israelites struggling with this challenge themselves. God has rescued them from Pharaoh, with help and guidance of Moses and Aaron, but now they are lost in the wilderness with no provisions, afraid they will die. Moses and Aaron explained to them that God has heard their grumbling and will provide them with food every day and evening. They even witness the presence of the Lord among them, confirming the promise of food relayed to them. But many still have doubts, saving food for the next day and going out to collect food on the Sabbath. After living under the cruel reign of a tyrant pharaoh who claims to be a god, one can understand why they might not fully trust this God and his human emissaries. The Gospel of John puts a similar challenge before us in our reading today. All the disciples just witnessed Jesus feeding more than 5,000 people, and then the Twelve saw Jesus walk on water. Some followers approach him and continue to ask him for signs so that they might believe in him. His response is merely that he is the bread of life. Shortly after this, Jesus tells those following him that if anyone wishes to have eternal life, they must eat his flesh and blood. Many who heard these words were confused by them. Jesus offers no clarification. Instead, he doubles down on his statement. Many stopped following Jesus because of this teaching. We can easily understand why. They went from witnessing Jesus perform miracles to hearing him say that they need to eat his flesh. The disciples in that moment were being asked to trust and believe something that may have sounded horrific to them. This saying is hard, many of them said; who can accept it? Much like the Israelites in the desert before them, witnessing miracles did not truly strengthen the trust of those following Jesus. They still doubted and complained. Miracles may come and they may go, leaving us to wonder if they ever really happened or if we were just imaging it. Neither do we always experience moments when God’s presence and abundant care are clear to us. It may even feel like the opposite sometimes. Many days we go about the business of our lives on autopilot. Other days may feel like an uphill struggle, as if everything seems to be working against us and nothing is going right. Then there are harder times when we suffer a big loss or we feel abandoned or deceived. In times like those it can be difficult for many to trust in a loving God who cares for us and the world. We might want to walk away and say, “This saying is hard. Who can accept it?” In those moments, we have examples in Moses and Peter, who chose to trust and believe, even if they did not understand everything. Trusting in God is something we must choose anew every day. It is daily life that helps us build this trust. It is in the family and friends we have found throughout our lives, who support us and will always be there for us. It is in remembering that God created an ordered world. What comes up, must come down. The sun and the moon will rise and set according to the seasons. And, yes, it is in having doubts and facing the challenges they offer us that will help us grow in trust of God. When we have fears or doubts, it is to these fundamentals of life that we should turn to help us make sense of the world again. It is there that we will see how God continues to provide for us in abundance.
About the Author Kate Oxsen is an assistant professor of Old Testament studies at Catholic Theological Union.