Isaiah 65, 17-21: The Lord declares his new heavens and a new earth for the faithful; joyfulness replaces sadness, and life overcomes death. Once again, the Lord declares, "Here I am."
Psalm 30: For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. Again, the faithful are promised renewal. Once again, the Lord declares, "Here I am."
John 4, 43-54: An official travels from Judea to Galilee begging Jesus to come heal his dying son in Judea. Before telling the father his boy will live, curing him miraculously across such a great distance, Jesus declares that we have a need to witness signs and miracles before believing. Can we believe without seeing? Once again, the Lord declares, "Here I am."
On her most recent visit, my Mom retold one of her favorite stories to my wife, one that I had not heard for a long time. Her two boys, about ages four and five, once shared a bedroom. Late one evening, the elder left his bed to visit the bathroom. After a time, the younger grew concerned and called out to his brother, "Are you okay?" The elder replied, "Yes. I have God with me here." The younger paused, then declared, "No, God is in here with me." A tearful argument ensued, followed by a long pause. The tears stopped. The younger called out to his brother, "That's okay. You have God with you. I have Jesus in here with me."
Believing without seeing; the promise of renewal; joyfulness will replace sadness: "Here I am." The Lord be with you.
Stephen Millard
