In 2020, I read each day from the devotional classic, My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. Keeping perspective during that unprecedented year when the world shut down, remaining focused on eternal priorities amid circumstances beyond my own control, seemed to be the theme that jumped from the pages, a message directly from God to my anxious heart as we were isolated from family, friends, community, and church, placed on a kind of “furlough” from life.
Hope was on the horizon as the new year dawned in 2021. Vaccines were coming – soon! Promises of normalcy were hinted at by leaders of the nations. The pandemic had to end soon. Surely, it would be gone by spring and our lives would return to the world we once knew.
Despite vaccines, the world continued to unravel, with new strands of the virus, death of loved ones and friends, strife among family members, co-workers, churches and communities, everyone advocating their own opinion, few willing to listen well. In our nation, divisiveness and distrust continue to persist. Across the globe, political and economic unrest go on with political polarization, riots, violence, economic instability, continued restrictions, and loss of personal freedom. We all watch and wait, still uncertain of where to go from here and if our lives will ever to normal.
As I look back over 2021, it seems fitting that my daily readings were from Streams in the Desert by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman. The words and Scripture were soul quenching, refreshing, bringing relief and strength for what seemed an interminable wait for life to go back to what I once knew.
These past twenty-two months have sometimes felt like the wilderness wanderings of the children of Israel, waiting for life to return to normal, hoping their eyes would soon catch a glance of the Promised Land, anticipating the possibility of stepping over the crest of the next hill to find an oasis – a cluster of green shade trees and cool refreshing waters – like Ein Gedi in the land of Israel.
For us, like for them, we are stepping into the new year of 2022, expectantly peering into the future, optimistic that we will once again feel secure and at peace in our world. Yet sadly, some are barely hanging on, with little faith they will ever fully live again.
On the other hand, those of us who are journeying along with Jesus, have a secure and eternal hope.
As Jesus explained to His disciples,
“I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
There was an old song written by Dottie Rambo in 1970 called Promises. The point of the song was this: The Bible is full of promises. However, there is no promise that our lives in this broken world will be perfect or painless. But we do have the promise of His presence with us in this world AND an eternal future with Him in the next.
We don’t need to wander in the desert of discouragement, fear, or hopelessness. The message of Jesus, His gospel of peace and a future belongs to us. In 2022, I am starting another devotional classic, Voices from the Past: Puritan Devotional Readings (Volume I). In the dedication, Richard Rushing, quotes his mother. “We did not ask for this, but the Lord will walk us through it.” The first day’s reading begins with Romans 8:31, “If God be for us, who can be against us?”
Jesus commissioned His disciples when He sent them out, saying to them, “Freely you received, freely give.”
Take courage in the presence and power of Jesus. May the propagation of His Gospel be our mission in this new year of 2022.
Beautifully written, Kim. Thank you!
Love your writing…it is so encouraging!