MONDAY, MARCH 2
Matthew 28:20 “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
On the evening news, our families watch nations at war. On the front page we read of murders and suicides. On our cell phones, we hear from family members and friends fighting cancer. On the internet we find churches and communities that preach discrimination and intolerance. Is it any wonder that some of us wonder where God is in all of this?
Throughout scripture we find Jesus restoring sight to the blind, helping the paralyzed woman to walk, healing the child suffering from a debilitating disease, rescuing a man from the lion’s jaw, calming the stormy seas. Jesus was a healer, a great physician—a miraculous spiritual superhero—converting water to wine, multiplying loaves and fishes, walking on water. Surely he could have healed our neighbor’s eight-year-old son who died of leukemia. Surely he could have prevented our grandmother’s dementia. Surely he could help us find a cure for AIDS. Surely he could have stopped this war. Where is this God?
If we think about it, though, God never promises a life without challenges. Noah had the flood; Daniel, the lions; Jonah, the whale; Jesus, the cross. God does not spare the pain even of his only son. Think of the 23rd Psalm, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For Thou are with me. Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
God does not promise that each day will be sunny and bright in green pastures, beside still waters. God does promise, however, that we will always have God’s presence—even in the valley of the shadow of death. Never alone, God is with us every step of the way.
Prayer: Thank you for being with us on our perilous journey through this life. Amen.
Tom Trenney
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