Will you not revive us again, so that your people may rejoice in you? – Psalm 85:6
Sometimes the days seems long. It seems as though we haven’t gone anywhere, or done much of anything. Those days, I wonder if we might ever know what it’s like to be back in a society where there is no fear, where we feel free to engage in social activity. I long for days of social gatherings at church, and among friends. It is days like that I feel very disconnected from ministry and sometimes life in general.
I still know that my family is there, and I am glad to have them with me safe and sound, especially after a health scare with our middle child a little over a week ago. However, I begin to feel the need to cry out, when, Lord, when will this be over and we can get back to life? Then I turn on the news (I know, big mistake), and just yesterday I heard someone say, that about wearing masks in public that “we need to continue this behavior, and the behavior of social distancing, even more now, as we create this habit into the future.” Upon hearing this, I have to wonder, will it really become normalized to wear a mask when out in public?
More and more each day we become fatigued with thoughts of quarantine and self-isolation. We keep hoping for better news, and a better world. and we hear the words of the psalmist, and realize people have been waiting for such news, forever. There are always those who seek to hear of a better world, always those who seek salvation, and the restoration of life.
God sometimes seems distant, sometimes feels distant form what is going on in our life, or in the world, but I assure you, in faith, God is the midst of it all. God is there speaking peace where there is no peace, God is there offering healing and insight to those on the front lines of healthcare. God is there with you, even now, offering comfort and companionship with His Holy Spirit. When those days seem long, take a deep breath, and be still, know that God is there. God’s steadfast love surrounds you, as it does me and all of us. God is preparing us for something greater. Verse 9 of the psalm says “surely his salvation is at hand…that his glory may dwell in our land.”
I believer God’s steadfast love will see us through, even in this prolonged time apart, and one day we shall rejoice in His presence, together, again.
Grace & Peace,
Sam