From the First Lesson for this day, Isaiah 33:1-16
Today's reading is perfect for today. My mother in law is very ill, the mother of a good friend in Church has died unexpectedly, two of our residents at Timbercrest have lost children to cancer in the past two weeks, and another woman at Church has discovered that she has breast cancer and is facing a mastectomy.
Verses 2-6:
2 O LORD, be gracious to us; we wait for you.
Be our arm every morning,
our salvation in the time of trouble.
3 At the tumultuous noise peoples flee;
when you lift yourself up, nations are scattered,
4 and your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers;
as locusts leap, it is leapt upon.
5 The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high;
he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness,
6 and he will be the stability of your times,
abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;
the fear of the LORD is Zion’s treasure.
Wow. God has such wonderful promises. These verses are amazing and encouraging.
But - and it's a big one - the rest of the verses belie the optimism of these promises. There are times when life has to get very low before we can be prepared for God's promises. In the case of the Israelites, they were brought low by their own devices.
But our own devices aren't the only things that will humble us. Often these circumstances are just part of life: death, illness, cancer, loneliness, depression, etc. Sometimes these things are none of our doing: persecution, crime, violence, injustice.
The principle is still the same - in order to look up, sometimes we go to the bottom. It's not what I want to hear from God. I want to hear that God will prevent all this stuff. I want to hear that God will overlook my sins and bless me anyhow. I want to let the bad stuff happen to others.
That's not life. The promises of Isaiah are still true. When trouble arises, God is our salvation in the time of trouble.
Lord, please help me look for you in the struggles of life. Be gracious to us; we wait for you. Amen.
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