Isolation?

February 8, 2021

“Isolation” is now politely called “sheltering in place.”  Controlling diseases that are thought to be highly contagious require placing people where they are unable to spread the sickness.  Today we know the dynamic.  We, though, can put on our mask and run to the store to be with other masked people and quickly grab that which we cannot do without.  We cheat “death.”  In Biblical times isolation was also used for contagious diseases but the most feared was leprosy.  Jesus leaves Peter’s home early in the morning, leaves the people gathering to be healed, and heads to “nearby villages – so I can preach there also.  That is why I have come.”  Preaching sounds a lot safer than dealing with masses of sick people!  So what new lesson do we learn?

         Mark immediately enters the next scenario in chapter 1, a man with leprosy encounters Jesus, falls on his knees and pleads, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”  A man with an unclean spirit at the synagogue, a widow with a fever laying in bed, and now Jesus faces an isolated man, condemned to live out his disease who voices our cry, “Lord, if you are willing.”  I listen to women praying a similar prayer to get help for loosing weight.  Their will power has a problem.  We talk about systemic evil like prejudice and hatred in our world but that seems to come back to our heart and will power.  For the leper, no amount of will power or changed behavior was going to make him well.  He needed a divine intervention, a miracle.

         Today as we come to Jesus, our situation may be the lack of will power to deal with our addiction – to food or whatever, or it may be an external illness like a fever, but for some we need a miracle.  Mark 1:41 says that Jesus was filled with compassion, not revulsion, and he reached out his hand and touched the man.  Not everyone receives a miracle but we all receive compassion and God reaches out to all of us in one way or another.  We may face isolation from people but we do not face isolation from God.  We may need to wear masks but that does not stop prayer.  We may be at the bottom of the line for the vaccine but God can still touch us.  Jesus says in this scenario, “I am willing!”  Let those words ring in your heart today – I am willing to be with you, to see you, to touch you, and to care.  Thank you, Lord!

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Sunday traditions

February 7, 2021

First Reading: Isaiah 40:21-31

 21Have you not known? Have you not heard?
  Has it not been told you from the beginning?
  Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
 22It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
  and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
 who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
  and spreads them like a tent to live in;
 23who brings princes to naught,
  and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.
24Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
  scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
 when he blows upon them, and they wither,
  and the tempest carries them off like stubble.
25To whom then will you compare me,
  or who is my equal? says the Holy One.
 26Lift up your eyes on high and see:
  Who created these?
 He who brings out their host and numbers them,
  calling them all by name; because he is great in strength,
  mighty in power, not one is missing.
 27Why do you say, O Jacob,
  and speak, O Israel,
 “My way is hidden from the Lord,
  and my right is disregarded by my God”?
 28Have you not known? Have you not heard?
 The Lord is the everlasting God,
  the Creator of the ends of the earth.
 He does not faint or grow weary;
  his understanding is unsearchable.
 29He gives power to the faint,
  and strengthens the powerless.
 30Even youths will faint and be weary,
  and the young will fall exhausted;
 31but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
  they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
 they shall run and not be weary,
  they shall walk and not faint.

Psalm: Psalm 147:1-11, 20c

 1Hallelujah! How good it is to sing praises to our God!
  How pleasant it is to honor God with praise!
 2The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem,
  and gathers the exiles of Israel.
 3The Lord heals the brokenhearted
  and binds up their wounds.
 4The Lord counts the number of the stars
  and calls them all by their names. 
 5Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
  there is no limit to God’s wisdom.
 6The Lord lifts up the lowly,
  but casts the wicked to the ground.
 7Sing to the Lord| with thanksgiving;
  make music upon the harp to our God,
 8who covers the heavens with clouds
  and prepares rain for the earth,

      making grass to grow upon the mountains. 
 9God provides food for the cattle
  and for the young ravens when they cry.
 10God is not impressed by the might of a horse,
  and has no pleasure in the speed of a runner,
 11but finds pleasure in those who fear the Lord,
  in those who await God’s steadfast love. 20cHallelujah!

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:16-23

16If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel! 17For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. 18What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.
  19For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. 20To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. 21To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. 22To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. 23I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.

Gospel: Mark 1:29-39

29As soon as [Jesus and the disciples] left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. 31He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
  32That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. 33And the whole city was gathered around the door. 34And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
  35In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. 36And Simon and his companions hunted for him. 37When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” 38He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” 39And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

CHILDREN’S SERMON        

         Many of you here will remember the movie, “Chariots of Fire” and its beautiful theme song that captivated our hearts.  The opening and closing scenes show the British track team running in the sand along the ocean beach in preparation for the 1924 Olympics.  Eric Liddel the Scottish runner for the British team is the son of a missionary, studying at Oxford, helping his sister run “the mission” and pondering his future.  He takes a break in his work to train for the Olympics.  On the ship going to France, he learns that his qualifying race will be run on Sunday.  This news throws him into a moral conflict.  He believes that the Sabbath should be observed in ways that did not include running an Olympic race.  Harold Abrams, the Jewish English runner on the team runs for Liddell and Liddell runs the 400 meter race, not the 100 meter.  One of the questions running through the movie is the question, “Where does the power come from to run the race?”

Prayer:  Lord as we ponder that question today, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you, my power source.

SERMON

Do you have Sunday traditions?  One Sunday morning my son asked me, “Mom, why don’t you cook any more?”  In Kenya, we would always had homemade coffee cake on Sunday morning.  I was not doing home baking in the same way.  “No TV till after lunch,” was a family rule.   Sunday evening the kids were required to put on a DVD with a Christian theme.  They quickly learned to find a redemptive theme in many of their favorite videos!  As a child I earned by weekly allowance of a nickel by being able to tell my parents what the sermon was about.  My parents went out to lunch with friends on Sundays.  Others use Sunday afternoon to visit grandma.  In all these situations, there is a worldview that understands Sundays to be a day of rest.  Possibly this traces back to God resting on the seventh day of creation or the third commandment that tells us to honor the Sabbath and keep it holy.

         Today’s text shares three Sabbath day insights into Jesus’ Sabbath.  Last Sunday we saw him in the synagogue but he was not silent, observing but actively engaged, being the living Word as he read the written word.  He was engaged in the confrontation of evil, the unclean spirit crippling a man at the synagogue.  He did not claim, “a day off,” but silenced and expelled the evil spirit, restoring the man to life.  Surely by now Jesus can chat with his disciples about the lesson he taught or the good deed he performed!  Jesus heads to the home of Simon Peter, along with Simon’s brother Andrew and their friends James and John.  Probably others were involved but unnamed in the passage.

         As Jesus enters the house, he is told that Simon Peter’s mother-in-law is sick in bed with a fever.  Possibly lunch is not ready and people are hungry.  Traditions of hospitality are upset.  I would guess there is tension in the air.  Again the predictable is interrupted by “evil” that is illness, or at least by inconvenience.  Why does our author, Mark, shares this incident?   It is the beginning of Mark’s gospel and he is showing us Jesus’ concern for even women, for an elderly woman, not at the synagogue, probably widowed and sick..

         “31He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.”  “At once” Jesus cares for Simon    Peter’s mother-in-law when he hears she is sick. We do not see Jesus confronting evil as with the unclean spirit, by ordering silence and dismissal.   Instead we see a tender scene.  Jesus takes her hand.  No bull dozing into her space.  It says that then he lifts her up.  I can only imagine that it is an arm around her shoulder to support her in a kind of hug, respecting her weakness and lifting her up.  Then the fever leaves.  Sometimes Jesus does do miracles and confronts evil with miracles but sometimes he enters our lives, gently, quietly, extending a hand, putting his arm around our shoulder and gradually helping us stand and get our balance.  God is not sitting back on some heavenly couch on Sunday, watching us through his cosmic television or zooming into our station to see what the deal is for when he goes to work on Monday, when he is back on the job. Restoration and revival can happen any day of the week, in church or in the home.  Restoration happens in direct confrontation with evil in our lives and restoration also happens in a gentle, encouraging approach that reaches God’s hand to us, assisting us to stand, and returning us to service.  Jesus is the living Word, written and spoken, found in church and Jesus is the compassion that works in our relationships.

         Secondly, the people are awed by Jesus’ dealing with evil in the synagogue and his fame spreads.  By evening, people have gathered at Simon Peter’s home with the sick and demon possessed.  The Sabbath is not over and Jesus is still healing “many.”  Sick are healed and many demons are cast out BUT “he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.”  Twice we have now heard Jesus tell evil to be silent.  Interesting! Mark is again challenging our concept of God.  God does not rest forgetting us on the Sabbath, withdrawing from his creation.  AND God does not want the testimony of evil to build his kingdom.  Why?

         Can you imagine the post scripts to the testimony of those spirits?  Jesus healed Jimmy, why not you?  Jesus healed Sam, and he was not as sick as you.  Jesus healed Eunice and she is not deserving like you.  Jesus healed Sarah so follow that healer.  Evil cannot be trusted for loyalty to God, cannot be trusted to understand God’s plan, and cannot be trusted to tell the truth. So Jesus again tells the evil spirits to be quiet.  We may not be the person with an unclean spirit like last week, we may not be the sick person healed today, and we may not be one of the townspeople that gathered that evening, but that does not mean that God is not dealing with evil in our lives and in our world.  In all those scenarios, Jesus is willing to work and restore to us life as he is true God with the power and true man with compassion for our situation.

         So where does that leave us?  The next morning, Jesus is missing when more people come for help.  The news of a healer has spread and many need healing.  Success is so intoxicating and the needs of humanity are never ending.  But Jesus, “while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.” For a third time our concept of God is confronted.  What was that about?  When we think of God, we do not think of a being with questions, with doubts, with confusion but in the face of success and human need, Jesus, true man withdraws to a deserted place.  Jesus has been tempted in all the ways people are tempted and he understands our doubts and confusing time when we need to withdraw and collect ourselves, to reconnect with the eternal and “charge our batteries.”  It could be that Jesus as true man also needed these times alone to think.  When the disciples find Jesus, they hear that the goal is not to heal and cast out demons but to spread the good news that the kingdom is near.

         Jesus draws aside to refocuses himself and refocuses his disciples.  Jesus has not come to make our life happy and comfortable. In the end people must still die.  Death by the virus is not sadder than death of a child with cancer or a mother in a car accident or a husband killed on the job.  Death is never welcome.  The wages of sin is death and we are all sinners.  Jesus has come to deal with death and to offer us life, not just to heal a temporary problem.  Jesus, and the gospel writer Mark, refocuses us.  The focus is not the miracle but the miracle worker and the spreading the good news that the kingdom of God is near.

         This Sabbath we have gathered around the living word to refocus our hearts and minds.  Are we looking for a miracle today and the deliverance from evil that has a grip on us?  That would be nice!  Are we looking to be lifted up from that would which holds us down so that we can serve better?  That would be nice.   Are we looking for God who is present and restoring our lives every day?  He does not rest nor does he grow weary.  Let us close with the words of the prophet Isaiah.

28Have you not known? Have you not heard?
 The Lord is the everlasting God,
  the Creator of the ends of the earth.
 He does not faint or grow weary;
  his understanding is unsearchable.
 29He gives power to the faint,
  and strengthens the powerless.
 30Even youths will faint and be weary,
  and the young will fall exhausted;
 31but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
  they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
 they shall run and not be weary,
  they shall walk and not faint.”

And the people of God said, AMEN!

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Following

February 6, 2021

Whoopi Goldberg belts out the song “I Will Follow Him” at the end of the movie “Sister Act I,” 1992, as we see the Pope sitting in the church balcony clapping in time to the music.  The song first appeared in France as an instrumental in 1961 but was recorded by Percy Faith in 1963 earning him a gold record.  Petula Clark released a French version in 1962 that was popular in Europe.  But it was Little Peggy March, age 15, the youngest female artist in the U.S. to do a chart-topping single, brought the song to fame in the U.S. and she was nominated for the Grammy Awards in 1964.  This is a world wide song translated into multiple languages!  Back to Whoopi, disguised as a “nun” in a San Francisco convent who leads a choir that brings music that “speaks” to the young people into church.  What a beautiful example of taking a fisher-woman and making her into a fisher of people.  I love it.  The lyrics, “I will follow him, wherever he may go, there isn’t an ocean too deep, a mountain too high to keep me away from his love…” give voice to the devotion and dedication of the nuns Sister Mary Clarence is staying with.

         Two weeks ago Jesus called four disciples in Mark 1, Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, James and his brother John, and invites them to be fishers of men.  “Follow me!” is the invite.  Mark’s first “event” that he shares to open his gospel is these followers first Sabbath with Jesus.  In the morning at the synagogue a man with an “unclean spirit” interrupts Jesus preaching.  Jesus casts out the spirit and silences it.  After church they go home to find the hostess, Peter’s mother-in-law, sick in bed with a fever and Jesus immediately extends his hand, lifts her up and restores her to serve.  By evening the sick and demon possessed from town have gathered to be helped.  By the end of this Sabbath day, the invitation to “follow” has seen the mountains of joy at restoration and the ocean of tears filled with despair.  Whew!

         But perhaps more amazing is that we too are invited to be followers, to sing the song with Whoopi, “I will follow him wherever he may go.”  How comforting to know that we go with him to experience those mountain tops and he is with us as we walk through the low times.  Please enjoy the Whoopi Goldberg version of this song and think of the invitation to follow Jesus.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=VPpd-6X3tEo&feature=youtube_gdata   

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Power to run the race

February 5, 2021

“Where does the power come to run the race?”  Eric Liddell asks his audience of workers at a factory after winning a track race.  Liddell is the Scottish son of a missionary, studying at Oxford, preparing for the Olympics in the 20s.  Harold Abrams, a Jewish student at Cambridge is also preparing for this race of his lifetime.  This question rings in the background of the movie, “Where does power come from?”  One man is driven by ethnic pride and the help of an excellent trainer while the other by his conviction that he is using his God given talent to its ultimate.  Most, if not all, of us will never run in the Olympics but we often draw in our breath and ponder – where will the power come from to do the task at hand?

         Today’s world looks to money, to vaccines, to training, to fame but it seems to me that the question confronts us all.  Where do I find power to live my life successfully – as defined by me, not by society?  Liddell’s answer is that it comes from within, from the heart, from faith.  Sunday we will see Jesus, after a busy day and evening of healing and casting out demons, arise and go to a lonely place to pray.  What was that about?  He was God wasn’t he?  And yet we know he was man and was tempted in all ways we are.  He understands our exhaustion, our confusion, and our questions.  So perhaps he too needed to go to a lonely place to focus himself and “recharge his batteries.”  I know I do.  After a draining experience, I often sit in my chair, and close my eyes for ten minutes and relax.

         So where does the power from come for you?  How do you recharge your batteries after exhausting experiences or refocus after intense creativity?  Again I offer you Isaiah 40: 31, “Those that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”  Perhaps you will wait in silence and prayer, perhaps in quiet study, perhaps a cup of coffee with a friend or at a café, but however you recharge your batteries today, may you remember your power source, God.  Blessings.

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A day at the beach

February 4, 2021

True confessions.  I love the ocean and going to the beach.  As a young adult, I supervised the beach trips to the ocean with our youth group.  I spent those years in the Los Angeles basin and a trip to the beach to watch the ocean could be done in a half hour – fewer people!  Coming home blistered was a badge of beauty from the goddess of youth.  Sun block cream had not been invented nor touted.  Watching the waves swell on the horizon and predicting which one would peak when and estimating if I was in the right position to body surf in to shore was so much fun.  I admired those who waited further out on surfboards and who could ride the crest down the coast.  Many times I waited too long and the wave crashed on me or I went over the top and came up with a mouth full of sand or glided over the top to see the wave peak behind me.  So much fun!  Wonderful memories!

         Last Sunday the wave peaked in the story of the man with the unclean spirit confronting Jesus on the Sabbath, in the synagogue.  That must have been a sight.  The unclean spirit caught the wave, for sure as it crashed on him and he was sent flying – silenced and without a home.  But others watching spread the word and Jesus’ fame spread.  This week, Jesus heals Simon Peter’s mother-in-law, not with a huge dramatic wave but a gentle swell that carried her safely to shore.  The result is she arose and was energized to serve.  Not only that, the whole town gathered at her doorstep that evening bringing their sick and demon possessed.  That was a busy day at the beach! 

         My point?  Our experiences with Jesus not only affect our lives but others watching are impacted, children, neighbors, grandchildren, and friends.  It is important how we respond to crisis, how we call on God, how we tend for our souls as the pressure of the wave mounts. It is a limited analogy but it does remind me as I read the text and face the challenges of life that I need to face challenges and not turn my back in denial, I need to depend on Jesus to carry me through, and afterwards there is purpose that add life and memories for me but also encourages others to ride the wave of faith.

         Perhaps today the waters look calm and glisten with the reflection of the sun and clouds.  But perhaps you are trying to ride the waves crashing on our shores today – waves of illness and political questioning and economic challenges.  It is good to look up and remember the God who is with you at the beach, see the swimmers who are facing the same challenges and realize this too will pass.  The sick woman took Jesus’ hand, felt his arm raise her up, the fever left and she went forth to serve.  Thank you Lord for being with us in the ups and downs of life.

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You Raise Me Up

February 3, 2021

When was the last time you were in bed with a fever? “Fever” is a scary word these days of the virus.  When we worked in Kenya, it almost always was associated with malaria.  Malaria meant the whole body ached, the head throbbed and it was impossible to carry on normal tasks.  Today fever is associated with chest, breathing, coughing and contagion.  Illness can lead to separation from family by going to a place of care or at least staying in bed and it can mean we cannot carry out our normal duties.

         In our text for Sunday, Peter’s mother-in-law is in bed with a fever as the house fills with company – Jesus who was the preacher at church, her son-in-law, his brother and two friends and how many others is not mentioned.  She and her daughter would be expected to be hostesses.  She must have felt horrible. I have heard it said that the title “mother-in-law” is about the least respectful title.  There are many cruel jokes.  It is ok to be a grandmother because they are loved but the title “mother-in-law” carries the sense of tension.  Peter’s wife is not even mentioned.  What’s that about?  Today I am pondering that feeling of being inadequate to fulfill my social responsibilities and no longer needed in my role as…mother, or??, and isolated by illness.  The adjectives that come to mind are lonely and helpless.

         It is this emotional, physical and psychological fog that Jesus steps into.  He takes her hand, not afraid of touch.  He raises her up, perhaps putting arms around her shoulder in a kind of hug, and the fever leaves.  We are hesitant to talk about areas in our lives where we feel weak and vulnerable but Jesus is not afraid to take our hand.  He is able to raise us up.  As he does, the illness leaves, the fog lifts, strength to serve returns.  I find that comforting.  When I am afraid, Jesus is not afraid to approach.  When I am weak, he is strong.  I love the song made famous, “You Raise Me Up.”  May it lift your spirits to face today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13_nXuJ6dX8

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Coping strategies

February 2, 2021

What’s your favorite coping strategy after a full day?  I ran all day yesterday and finally came home about 3 pm from taking my husband to a routine doctor visit and all I wanted to do was have that cup of coffee I had not had time for in the morning, to sit down and unwind.  Some days are like that.  After the exhaustion of work and the drain of supervising family and the worry of setting up for tomorrow, I am tempted to fall back and relax with a cup of warmth, a TV episode, or a phone call to a friend. 

         Last week our text told of Jesus speaking in the synagogue on the Sabbath and in the middle of his talk being interrupted with a man with an unclean spirit who challenged his authority.  Can you feel the tension of the confrontation?  Jesus silences and casts out the spirit and frees the man from the oppression that drives him from within.  Can you feel the drain of energy caused by this use of his personal strength?  Whew, that was a big day at the synagogue.  It was definitely food for thought and debriefing around the lunch table!  Jesus heads off to the home of one of his newest disciples, Simon Peter, with Simon’s brother Andrew and their friends James and John.  I’m sure the disciples would love to debrief Jesus as they enjoyed a warm drink and a midday meal.  I would have had questions!

         Instead we find Jesus now confronted with a different kind of debilitating problem, not a evil spirit but Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a fever.  We don’t know where the daughter/wife was, perhaps at the drug store or perhaps caring for the mother.  I suspect the drink was not warm, there was tension in the air and the strategy of “isolation” was probably not practiced.  How would you respond?  Sorry, this is not a good time to visit.  Perhaps let’s go somewhere else less contaminated?  Sunday we will see how Jesus handles the situation but the point of reflection today might be to ask ourselves how we unwind from a tense event?

         Gathering around the “meal” to talk over the sermon or the crisis or the news or to celebrate the event is a common cultural way that we “debrief” and celebrate.  For some that may be to turn on the radio and listen to the news commentator’s debate.  For others it is a social gathering.  It could be picking up the phone and calling a trusted friend.  How do you “debrief”? 

         Spiritual disciplines for debriefing do include fellowship and worship.  We can also add the discipline of journaling, prayer, and reading.  Artistic outlets like writing, painting and music are ways we debrief and detox our soul.  As we go through the events of our lives today, may we take time to process and not just go from one task to the next.  Jesus walks with us and is always available for a chat!  Blessings.

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Run and not faint

February 1, 2021

“Chariots of Fire” has a touching scene near the end of the movie.  As Eric Liddell who refused to run on Sunday in the Olympics preaches the following verses from Isaiah, Harold Abrahams is running his entries seeking that gold medal.  Liddell reads Isaiah 40:28-31,

28Have you not known? Have you not heard?
 The Lord is the everlasting God,
  the Creator of the ends of the earth.
 He does not faint or grow weary;
  his understanding is unsearchable.
 29He gives power to the faint,
  and strengthens the powerless.
 30Even youths will faint and be weary,
  and the young will fall exhausted;
 31but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
  they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
 they shall run and not be weary,
  they shall walk and not faint.

.

We have about two and a half weeks and it will be Ash Wednesday, introducing Lent, when we switch focus to the death of Christ.  Do we not know and have we not heard, the writer asks us about our Epiphany ponderings.  What might be characteristics that we have seen during these weeks?

         The Lord is everlasting God, present at creation, never tiring and still active today.  As I watch the sun rise early in the morning, the untiring rhythms of nature meet my eyes.  Each day is a clean slate that will unfold, maybe predictably but maybe with surprises, all in the presence of an everlasting God who scripture says never tires or grows weary as I do.  God understands the factors that drive my decisions and the weaknesses of my character and yet tomorrow comes and he is still there.  Like those cloudy, misty mornings, many days I have trouble seeing his hand and feeling his presence but it does not mean I am abandoned.  I rejoice in the bright sunny events and withdraw into myself to find him on those cloudy dreary days.

         Even youth grow weary and faint and need the strength that comes from God and the inner resources we have from that relationship.  Interestingly we must “wait for the Lord.”  Ah, true, as I want now! And have trouble waiting.  As an elder it is easier to sit and savor life more than when I was chasing children, chasing work, going from one thing to another but still the struggles of the soul draw me to the everlasting God who does not tire.  Through prayer I turn over the events of my children and grandchildren’s lives, the worries of the next doctor appointment, and the chaos of the world I live in.  How comforting to see that sunrise and be reminded of God’s consistency and presence as I wait.

         The verses end with a promise of strength to walk and not faint in our lives.  That may not mean victory, as we would like victory to look like – winning a gold medal.  That may not mean that there were be no struggles that make us weary.  But it does mean we are not alone and God sees and cares and walks with us.  That is a comfort to start a new month, a new week, and unfolding adventures of life.  Blessings as you draw comfort and strength from these verses for the decisions you will make today and the races you choose to be involved in.  Blessings!

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