Dear everyone,
Stuck in, unable to go out. How does that feel? I spoke to someone this week who understands why we need to do it, and she really wants to do it, but boy is she feeling the loneliness and isolation of it all.
Of course we are stuck in our homes, with running water, sofas, telephones and Netflix, so it's not all bad. Imagine being stuck, like we are now, but in a cave. That was David's experience in the Old Testament. Saul was pursuing him out of jealous rage and David hid in a cave, unable to go out, stuck. And really helpfully, he wrote a poem about it. In it he tells us how he feels to be stuck in, and he tells us what got him through day by day.
First in Psalm 143v4 he writes: "My spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed." Do you relate to David? Many of us will. And the reality is that no amount of Netflix will take away the dismay, or strengthen us when we feel faint. So what did David do? Every morning he did the same thing, ran to the same place, and believed the same truth.
Later in the same Psalm, in verse 8, he wrote: "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you." David survived the lockdown of the cave by making sure, every morning, he went deeper into and knew more of God's unfailing love. Every. Morning.
How might that help you and me, stuck at home? What practical steps can we take to be reminded of the word of God's unfailing love each day? Studious types: Can you read God's Word each morning? Crafty types: Could you stick a heart by your bed with a verse written in it? Music lovers: Could you play a song while you're stirring the porridge? Adventurous types: Could you thank him for his love in the creation you explore? Friendship types: could you ring a different person each morning as an expression of that love? Technology geeks: Could you download an app for your phone such as "Dwell," "YouVersion," or "Lection 365" which give you daily notes, messages and themes about God's Word? However you do it...
Heavenly Father, we are stuck in our homes at the moment, feeling the isolation and loneliness, knowing faint hearts and at times deep dismay. So may we, like David, have each morning bring us word of your unfailing love.
Yours in Christ,
Paul