A WORD FOR TODAY, January 8, 2021
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, January 8, 2021
“For this cause, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:14-19, WEB
I have a confession to make. I have struggled during this time (weeks, perhaps even months) with the faith that God is in control. I’ve said the words a million times. I’ve focused the lessons in my adult Sunday school time on trusting in God, that He is faithful and that He will always make things right. Yet, I live in a world that demands immediate satisfaction and I’m as guilty as the next. I have struggled with doubt that God is even listening to our prayers.
I make this confession with the hope that others who have had similar doubts will know that you are not alone. We woke up on January 1st with the hope that this year would be different, but the beginning of this year has seen troubles that seem magnified. The virus numbers continue to rise. The unemployment numbers are going up because of stricter restrictions. Violence is up. People are sad, afraid, frustrated and angry. We are struggling with hope.
Perhaps this is exactly where God wants us to be. See, it is easy to have faith when everything is going well. It is easy to believe in God when we have nothing that makes us sad, afraid, frustrated or angry. It doesn’t take any work to say the words that God is in control and that He will make everything right. Unfortunately, when we do not work at our relationship with God, we become complacent. We are satisfied with our lives and so we take our blessings and our God for granted.
We are forced to seek God in such a time as this. God is not bothered by our sadness, fear, frustration, and anger. He calls to us to give it to Him. He calls us to trust in Him. He promises that He is indeed in control. But we who are struggling and suffering need to remember that He fulfills His promises in His time so that we will set everything into His hands. Then, and only then, can we see how truly gracious and merciful He is.
In these days I’ve seen people withdraw, not only from God but from each other. We have stopped trusting our neighbor. We have harbored anger and mistrust for so long. Who can we believe? What is true? The pandemic has forced us to withdraw into our homes and rely on social media for our fellowship. Yet, even that is becoming difficult as the divisiveness is destroying relationships. More and more of my friends are choosing to close their accounts. This is probably a good thing for their state of mind, but it means even more isolation.
How easily we cast away our fellow man when we see their imperfections! Thanksfully, God does not cast us away. He sees our heart, our true self that is often ignored by the world. As we begin to fade, He nurtures us so that we might grow more beautiful for His glory. Perhaps that’s why we have come to a time like this. He will use this time not only to bring His grace to our fallen world, but He will use it as a time to heal our brokenness and transform us into the people He has created, redeemed and called us to be. As Paul writes, we are rooted in His love and we are blessed according to the riches of his glory. There is hope. There is always hope. Tomorrow may not be better, but God is in control and we can trust that He is working in ways we will never fully understand. I pray that this day you (and I) might fully grasp this incredible love and trust in Him with more than words.
A WORD FOR TODAY is posted five days a week – Monday through Friday. The devotional on Wednesday takes a look at the scripture from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday. A WORD FOR TODAY is posted on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Word-for-Today-Devotional/339428839418276. Like the page to receive the devotion through Facebook. For information and to access our archives, visit http://www.awordfortoday.org.