As we leave 2020 behind, know that this promise, written long before the coronavirus entered our world, still stands. It is just as trustworthy and true now as it was then.
Today, I'm choosing to name the good and give thanks for the many blessings of 2020. Though it has been hard, it hasn't been all bad. Not by a long shot.
If you're feeling worn down and weary from all the things, know that you're not alone. This world is too much to bear in a normal year, much less in a year like this one.
Of course I’m grateful for the big things. Salvation. The grace of God. Forgiveness of sin and the promise of heaven. But the little things matter too.
There's something to be said for the simple act of naming the tiny joys in life. It may not seem like much, but taking a moment day by day to focus on the good and give thanks for blessings both big and small has a way of slowly but surely changing a heart.
With God, there's hope and life and the assurance that though things are very, very bad in the world, they are very, very good in the presence of the Lord.
One of my seminary professors opened every single class by having us recite this prayer together. It was a good reminder that we have all, each and every one, fallen short of the glory of God. We have all fallen short of his expectations. None of us are perfect, and it’s good to admit it on the regular.
As this virus continues to wreak havoc and steal life, choosing to rejoice anyway may not feel like much, but it matters, especially when it’s the last thing that we feel like doing.
The Lord is a safe place to run in the midst of trouble. There's no better place to be than in the shelter of his wings, because this is the Truth: the world may fall to pieces around us, but the Lord remains unshaken. ⠀
The prophet Micah first spoke these words during a time of great trouble for the people of God. Granted, it was a much different kind of trouble than the trouble that we're facing today, but it was trouble nonetheless, and these words still speak.