Devotional thought of the day:

Idou Ego meth umon eimi pasas hemeras heas tes suntelias tou aionos.

It’s Wednesday, and already a hard one.  My cousin back east is in ICU after a crash, my friend’s father passed away, another friend’s grandmother is seriously ill – and the prayer list of my church of 100 or so people is two pages long.  Pm top of that there are the Bible studies to prepare, a new confirmation class starting Sunday, a wedding to prep the music and bulletin for, all sorts of other issues going on.  As the president of my congregation is known for saying… Sigh… Prayers!

Some people call Wednesday the hump day, that things speed up from this point on.  I am not so sure I want them this week to speed up – or intensify.  It seems like this week will never end… and even if it does, what happens next week?  There are days… weeks and maybe even a year..(or two) when everything seems to pile up – work, obligations, trauma, natural disasters,…sigh. It is overwhelming…

The Greek transliteration above is from the end of the Gospel of Matthew, and it is where I find my “optimistic” attitude in the face of such weeks. (someone said that to me the other day… I’m like..uhm… okay?)  I put it there in the Greek – not to show off – but because the English translations.. well – I think they don’t express it as well as the Greek does.  Here it is, in English

Look!  I with you AM – all the days until the completion of the time!

That is the message we need, that is what we need to realize on Wednesdays, (and every other day) EVERY day – He is here, we live in the presence of God who is with us, for us, caring for us, guarding and securing us in His peace, because He loves us.  That whether it is Hurricane Sandy, or personal trauma, or watching the people we love suffer, we know God is here with us.

That gets us through the trauma.  It beings us the expectation of eternity, an eternity beyond our ability to imagine.  I used this quote earlier this week – it still strikes me as needing to be heard:

(God’s) Covenant blessings are not meant to be looked at only, but to be appropriated. Even our Lord Jesus is given to us for our present use. Believer, thou dost not make use of Christ as thou oughtest to do. When thou art in trouble, why dost thou not tell him all thy grief? Has he not a sympathizing heart, and can he not comfort and relieve thee? No, thou art going about to all thy friends, save thy best Friend, and telling thy tale everywhere except into the bosom of thy Lord. Art thou burdened with this day’s sins? Here is a fountain filled with blood: use it, saint, use it. Has a sense of guilt returned upon thee? The pardoning grace of Jesus may be proved again and again. Come to him at once for cleansing. Dost thou deplore thy weakness? He is thy strength: why not lean upon him? Dost thou feel naked? Come hither, soul; put on the robe of Jesus’ righteousness. Stand not looking at it, but wear it. Strip off thine own righteousness, and thine own fears too: put on the fair white linen, for it was meant to wear. Dost thou feel thyself sick? Pull the night-bell of prayer, and call up the Beloved Physician! He will give the cordial that will revive thee. Thou art poor, but then thou hast “a kinsman, a mighty man of wealth.” What! wilt thou not go to him, and ask him to give thee of his abundance, when he has given thee this promise, that thou shalt be joint heir with him, and has made over all that he is and all that he has to be thine? There is nothing Christ dislikes more than for his people to make a show-thing of him, and not to use him. He loves to be employed by us. The more burdens we put on his shoulders, the more precious will he be to us. ^[i]