There is much that requires courage in life. The past 18 months have been particularly demanding and the months ahead promise to continue to present challenges on many fronts.
With fewer restrictions anticipated in the coming weeks, there will be more gear shifting needed. I have heard much gratitude and hope around this change and am aware that even a positive change requires energy. At a time when many of us have stripped gear boxes, we expect to be shifting gears again. And this is only one of the many demanding realities we are faced with.
With that in mind, I am brought back to a pair of lessons from a couple months ago. In Deuteronomy 31, the people of Israel are preparing to enter the Promise Land and Moses is preparing to die. He says to the people of Israel:
“Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you.” (The Message)
On the same day, we were also reading in Acts 18 when Paul was facing opposition in Corinth. "One night the Master spoke to Paul in a dream: “Keep it up, and don’t let anyone intimidate or silence you. No matter what happens, I’m with you and no one is going to be able to hurt you. You have no idea how many people I have on my side in this city.” (The Message)
Over and over, the promise God gives his people is about his presence - our hope is not in ourselves, in the church, in others, or in anyone or anything else. Our hope is that God is with us - individually and corporately.
Grace and peace,
Michelle
