One of the main themes that keeps coming to mind during this bizarre season is God’s faithfulness. In the times I’m feeling most discouraged or frustrated with navigating such a different way of living life, the Lord will drop little reminders in my heart. He will remind me of what he has been doing in my heart before this and show me how it connects now. He’ll remind me of what he has done to intervene in difficult situations in the past and the ways he brought me through.
I think that one of the most helpful ways we can engage with the faithfulness or the steadfastness of God is to remember what he has done in the past. In the midst of turmoil and disruption it can be hard to give thanks for his faithfulness because the virus continues to spread, and answers seem to remain hidden. Which is fair! And this is why we cry out to God here and now and ask for him to intervene again…
We get to do so with confidence that our God will not leave us here. We get to seek him out knowing that he hears us, because he has proven himself to us in the past! He has carried each and every one of us through turbulent circumstances before and he will do it again.
While his timing is often a mystery and can even come across as being wrong or foolish or impossible… he continues to work on our behalf! When the trials that surround us drag on and the storms continue to rage, his still, small voice continues to whisper hope to our hearts. His Spirit lives within us and it is not going anywhere! He is continually acting and moving and bringing us closer to himself and closer to one another!
And so I encourage you to take heart and to remind yourselves of that which he has done for you in the past! We don’t have answers for right now and back when you were waiting for God to intervene in the past, you had no idea how he would do it then either… but he did.
Remind yourself of that!
May we never, ever, E V E R stop extending grace to ourselves. Grace for others can be a lot easier to dish it out, because times are hard and how could they know better? Do not forget to include yourself in that. You are not going to get this perfect… what in the world does perfect look like here anyway?! Nobody has been here before… none of us have faced a global pandemic of this kind and I think we all need to remind ourselves of that too.
You will get through this. We will celebrate together again in person. God is faithful and he will come through for us again. In the grand scheme of things and in this day too.
I encourage you to let this Psalm of David be your prayer for today:
Psalm 138
“I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.
On the day I called, you answered me;
my strength of soul you increased.
All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth,
and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord.
For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he knows from afar.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
and your right hand delivers me.
The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.”
Amen.