10-09-19

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS

October 9, 2019

Scripture: Psalm 107:28-31

So they cried out to the LORD in their distress, and God brought them out safe from their desperate circumstances. God quieted the storm to a whisper; the sea’s waves were hushed. So they rejoiced because the waves had calmed down; then God led them to the harbor they were hoping for. Let them thank the LORD for his faithful love and his wondrous works for all people.

Thought for the Day: I don’t know about you, but I have found the time between my cry and the moment when God brought me to a safe place was a bit longer than it takes to read the above passage. In fact, there are some people who spend their entire lives in the storm. Like you, I’ve read stories of human beings who lived their entire lives in war, individuals who were trafficked from an early age, or those who have suffered from an untreated mental illness. The chaos of the storm continued to beat them, even amidst the cries. Some will try to make sense of it by claiming such people deserved it because of an unconfessed sin. But how do we align that with Jesus who spoke of forgiving always. Others will suggest that God is using those in the storm as a teaching moment. That’s all well and good, unless you are the teaching moment that lasts a life time. I don’t pretend to know all things about God, but I cannot believe that God leaves people in the storm when God could do something about it. I tend to believe that God is the One who respects human freedom and then uses that free will to bring about God’s will on earth as it is in heaven. As I think about Living the Love First Life, I believe I am called by God to be the Jim-buoy Ring thrown to the person who is going under in the storm.

Prayer: Wherever you need me, Lord, I am ready. If I must go into the storm for the sake of another, I shall believe your eternal love will be present to me always. Amen.

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