Greetings and salutations Zion Family!

I hope you all enjoyed last week’s musing by Mike Shirley as much as I did.  I can identify with Mike’s struggle to try to use words or song  to communicate those deep stirrings that God has created in our lives.  It’s a frustrating process.

To be honest, I don’t know what to write this week.

I keep searching for the perfect article to unlock that perfect perspective on the issues that we face today:  Something that will give us that exact dose of hope that we need to make it through yet another week of quarreling politicians, a rising numbers of cases, and being stuck at home.  Maybe, if I sit down and actually read all the books I’ve amassed, I’ll find just the encouragement I’m looking for that I can share with you all.  Maybe if I page through some of my old favorites, I’ll find that one spark that will ignite my thought process.

In the words of Bono, “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.”

So, I go to the place where I probably should have started my search: The Bible. In the past weeks, I have actually been able to appreciate the joy of a quiet, slow morning, and I’ve come to appreciate my quiet time in a whole new way. It’s not that each morning is filled with all these deep thoughts and prayers, but it’s become my anchor.  I have been reminded all over again how much I need God.  I crave his faithfulness and steadfastness as I face how uncertain and unprecedented life is today.

The beginning part of Paul’s letter to the Colossians echoes through my head:

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”  (Colossians 2:15-17)

We serve a God that holds it all together.  I find great comfort in that, and I hope that you can as well.  I am already anticipating the day when I am able to trace the story of God’s faithfulness through this time of separation and difficulty in my life and in the life of the church.  It will be an amazing story to tell.

So I hope that as you go through this week, you can find what you need to give you that exact dose of hope.  Maybe it will be a phone call with a family member or friend, or a shouted conversation with your neighbor across the street, or getting out and (finally) enjoying some warm weather.  God will be faithful to provide what you need if you have the eyes to see it and the ears to hear it.

Resources:

The Bible Project is doing a really interesting series on apocalyptic literature. Find it here:

Ellie Holcomb recently released a new song that I found to be very moving.  It’s one of those raw and real songs that wrestles with walking through hard, dark times.  Here’s a link to the lyric video:

Stay safe and be well!