WATCHWORD:
11 The Lord has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does. He said, 12 “Don’t call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don’t live in dread of what frightens them. 13 Make the Lord of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble.14 He will keep you safe. But to Israel and Judah, he will be a stone that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem, he will be a trap and a snare. 15 Many will stumble and fall, never to rise again. They will be snared and captured.”16 Preserve the teaching of God. Entrust his instructions to those who follow me. 17 I will wait for the Lord, who has turned away from the descendants of Jacob. I will put my hope in him. 18 Behold—here I stand, and the children whom the Lord Yahweh has given me are for signs and wonders in Israel, sent from the Lord Almighty, Commander of Angel Armies, who is enthroned on Mount Zion! Isaiah 8:11-18
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3
Meditation:
Surrounded by a Cloud of Witnesses
Within my circle of friends, there are six of us who over a relatively short span of years, have been caregivers, and stood in witness as God called our spouses home. What an array of loving people, they are, touching others, and being a blessing to all. Our grief was no match for the power of love that radiated from the beloved, even as life ebbed.
Anyone who has been privileged to be part of that blessed process, knows that there are times when we feel as if God isn’t with us in our troubles. A time when we could celebrate the life but we can’t bring ourselves to celebrate the death, and especially the manner of dying. Those are times when we can’t “see” God, but if we were honest with ourselves, we can recall the times when God has helped and protected our loved one, and ourselves. Those were signs that God is still there caring for us, even in those dark times.
We rest in the belief that God will come through in His own way, and His own time. Our personal faith is the key. That’s when we depend on what we can see of His works in our lives, in the past and present. They’re the visible reminders of an invisible God—a God who is always with us and will answer in His own time and way.
Consider Isaiah’s expression of trust in Isaiah 8:17-18. Even when he couldn’t feel God’s presence as his people braced for trouble from their enemies, he would “wait for the Lord.” He trusted in God because of the signs He’d given of His continuing presence.
Can you imagine what was going through the minds of those gathered on Calvary Hill, standing in witness of Jesus’ crucifixion death, being unaware of the coming Resurrection. How different is that scene to the one we have witnessed, or, when our time comes, will be witnessed, with the full knowledge of our transition into the resurrected life. Without death, there cannot be a resurrection life. Amen.
Bulletin Board:
Singer Garth Brooks has a wonderful ballad, The Dance, that is about life together, that anyone whose loved one has passed can relate to:
Looking back on the memory of
The dance we shared beneath the stars above
For a moment all the world was right
How could I have known you’d ever say goodbye
And now I’m glad I didn’t know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance, I could have missed the pain
But I’d have missed the dance
Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for always being there for me. Give me the strength to trust in You even when I don’t understand what’s going on, and cannot see the end. Deepen my faith and grant me a measure of Your Peace that passes all understanding. Amen.
