Notes of Faith February 10, 2023
Right Now
Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.” — 2 Kings 6:17 NIV
For the first time in months, I awoke before my alarm. The temperature had dropped. Good morning, Lord. I love You, I said silently. Then I went to make coffee.
I smiled as I walked into the kitchen of our new apartment.
It is a separate room, not the mere three-foot-long stretch of counter adjacent to the living/dining area in our old place. I luxuriated in it, thankful, as I poured hot water into the French press and stirred the ground coffee with a chopstick. Then I padded across the new blue carpet to my chair in the living room. Early-morning sun glinted off the bricks of the apartment building across the street. Sparrows twittered somewhere. Life felt good.
I sipped my coffee and chuckled. Absolutely nothing was different that morning except the temperature and a good night’s sleep. Every problem I’d had the day before still existed.
One of my kids was in the hospital after a suicide attempt. Another was struggling mightily with the stress of the situation. Our prior landlord refused to return my calls to negotiate an end to our lease. Many things in my life were not good, yet I was feeling reasonably content.
I prayed (wryly): “You were right, Lord. Feeling helpless doesn’t mean everything is hopeless.” Fortunately, when I stress because I can’t imagine a way out of a bad situation, God gently corrects my thoughts:
Right now, I can’t see the way. Perhaps tomorrow I will. I may wake up, smell the coffee, and see the light, and what felt impossible will feel more doable.
I can’t always imagine that possibility. What I can do, though, is pray.
Let Us Pray
Lord, teach me to trust in You more than I trust my feelings.
Proverbs 3:5–6 NIV
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.
Excerpted from Held in Perfect Peace, copyright Guideposts.
Truly, when things are not going well and we are not in control of what is going on, we can still have peace that God not only knows today, but what is in the future. He is with us in the struggle and will lead us through the storms of life into glory and joy with Him. No matter the circumstance, God walks with us and will be our comfort and guide.
Pastor Dale