“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”--Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
"Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”--Deut 31:6
"He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?"--Micah 6:8
Yesterday my church, along with 30 other churches in our community, had a "Pray-test" downtown. We marched and we stopped and prayed.
These last few months, our country has seen fear and uncertainty, anger and frustration, and a repeat of a fatal incident that once again highlights 345 years of systemic racism.
And yet, if I look hard, I can see some light--the quarantine has strengthened family relationships, made us all stop and smell flowers, gotten rid of questionable hygienic practices. The murder of George Floyd and the subsequent protests have once again brought up discussions and awareness and brought people and churches to prayer.
I have been saddened and uplifted, discouraged and encouraged.
In the midst of all of this chaos, I go back to one of my favorite verses, the inspiration behind this blog.
"The Lord said, 'Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.'
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper." 1 Kings 19:11-12
He is here, among us, with us, in us. Look for Him, listen for Him, stay in His grip, feel the warmth of His love.
Comments
Post a Comment