Tuesday Reflection – July 14, 2020 Hope In The Midst of Crisis.

Tuesday Reflection – July 14, 2020
Hope In The Midst of Crisis.

Since mid-March we have been unable to have our traditional celebrations as a church, as families and as a people. There are families anxiously awaiting the baptism of their new babies and couples waiting to celebrate their nuptials. We have been unable to have worship or fellowship as we normally would. There have been no traditional weddings, funerals, birthday parties or any of the usual moments of celebration that mark the phases of life. These are not normal times. In Jeremiah 33 the prophet found himself in prison because of his faithfulness to God but the Lord called on him to continue praying and proclaiming his message regardless for God would rescue him from captivity. He became a living example of God’s message to his people. They would be displaced, brought into desolation because of their sin, yet even in their desolation God would give them a reason to continue praising Him and God would keep their hope alive with the promise of restoration. There shall once more be heard the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing, “Give thanks to the Lord of host, for the Lord is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” Jeremiah 33: 10 – 11

Many persons are longing for a return to normalcy. The new terms these days are ‘new normal’ and ‘zoomed out’. Many cry out from loneliness, lack of fellowship with others, fear of contracting the COVID-19 virus due to underlying conditions, working in high risk areas and placing their loved ones at risk or having to be isolated from their loved ones while caring for others. Others cry out from working under restrictions of contact and dress, inability to function in a normal way, and the list goes on and on. Life as we know it has not been the same for most of 2020. God’s message to Israel through Jeremiah was just this, life as they knew it would change. The moments of celebration they were used to would be gone. The things that brought them joy would be gone and the places they were used to spending happy times would be desolate. This is quite true of the world in the past few months. We saw the closure of all the places we were accustomed to going for worship, hang out, shop, entertainment, excursion and so on. The sounds of joy and celebration were replaced with fearful sounds, hopeless sounds, wailing sounds, weary sounds, sounds of boredom, sounds of anger, sounds of frustration. At the same time, we all look and long for better days, a return to normalcy, a return to life as we are used to it. In Hosea 6: 1 the prophet calls for a return to the Lord since the Lord who tears us to pieces can heal us and the Lord who injures us can bind up our wounds. The recognition is that God who allows the bad to happen is able to bring healing and restoration. This encourages us to never lose hope for our God is not the destroyer, but the one who restores and repairs what is destroyed. Isaiah 40: 31 reminds us: but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Today’s watchword therefore offers us hope in the midst of crisis. Hope that things as they are now is not the new normal as many have been saying. Hope in the certainty that we are not forgotten or abandoned by God but that God journeys with us into and through the crisis bringing us closer to Himself and the point of restoring us to the way we were before. This offers us hope, something to look forward to and a reason to be steadfast in service and prayer. God is with us throughout all the curves and turns of life so we can trust in God’s provision and hope in God’s restoration. Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning. The prophet quoted Psalm 126 which spoke of the joys of restoration. When the Lord restored the fortunes of[a] Zion, we were like those who dreamed. 2 Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them. The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Friends we are living in difficult times but better days are ahead. Indeed God offers us this hope as He journeys with us through this time of crisis. Until then, keep praying, praising and singing and never give up hope. Amen.

Bevon White