Good Morning All,
Isaiah 43: 1-3a; “But now thus says the Lord…“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I
have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through
the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not
overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the
flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”
Not all of our grandchildren live just a couple miles away. The youngest lives about 150 miles away. So Grandma and I just have to take a trip to
see him (and his parents) every so often.
When we head out, we rarely take the same route twice in a row. We might take a route that takes us by a
portion of the state that we haven’t seen in a while or go through a town that
we haven’t stopped in before. Sometimes
we look for quilt shops (not my idea) and sometimes we look for interesting
buildings or the condition of the crops (my ideas). Usually, our journeys are quiet and enjoyable;
but sometimes.
We have been delayed by road work, animals on the road, planting
equipment moving slowly down the road, harvest equipment moving slowly down the
road. We have been known to miss a turn
or take a turn too early. Yet through it
all, we don’t get too excited because we keep our thoughts on the prize; we are
going to visit our grandson and his parents.
That is what truly matters; it is where we are going, the destination,
that keeps us going. We don’t get
worried about the extraneous action; we are headed to see how much he has
grown, what his new words are, how he plays with his dog and to share our love
with him (and his parents). What happens
on the journey, some pleasant some not, does not detract from the joy of our
destination. In many ways, this should
be our faith journey as well.
We shouldn’t let the trip distract
us from the beauty and glory of our destination. Nothing in this life can take form us the joy
and the wonder of our destination: eternal life with Jesus. Mothing can compete with the joy we have
coming. The certainty of this great
promise allows us to face the struggles of this life with the assurance of God
to never abandon us, to never forsake us.
We can face the difficulties of life knowing that they do not define us
or control us. God’s great promise of
eternal life, our destination, can and should always be in the forefront of our
mind. This great news and promise should
carry us through the challenges of today for these challenges will only last a
brief moment in time compared to the glory of eternal life with Jesus. This is our hope.
Father
of all mercies, you never abandon us in this life. We always have your comforting Spirit with
us. Keep us mindful of your great
mercy. Keep us focused on our destination
to be with you in eternity. Keep us safe
in your loving arms. Be with those who
face the rivers and fires of the trials of this life. Give them courage and comfort to always trust
in your great love. In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.
God’s Peace,
Pastor Bret
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