Looking Forward to Next
"I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (Genesis 28:15 NIV)
By now, things have definitely changed. Things simply are not the same as they once were. We are having to stay home, families are having to homeschool children, many people who work in healthcare, childcare, and other "essential" jobs have extra workloads, and those who are working from home are still dealing with the realities of doing so. Stores still remain short of certain items. Many people have been laid off from their jobs, and are wondering about finding a new paycheck. The number of those infected increases exponentially, and the death toll continues to rise. The pandemic has put us on a journey, which we do not exactly how it will end, and of which we remain a bit wary and even fearful. We wonder if this pandemic will ever end, and how it will end.
In today's Scripture passage, Jacob was also on a journey which made him fearful. He had to flee from being killed by his brother Esau, away from his parents, to another country, to live with relatives. He had no idea what was going to happen to him, how he was going to end up, or if he was even going to survive the journey. He had no idea what the outcome of everything was going to be, only that he was being forced to make the journey. And so, on his first night on the road, God appeared to him, showing him his glory to let him know for certain it was God speaking to him. God then promised to be with him, and that He would not only bring Jacob safely to his destination, but safely back home again.
Ultimately, God fulfilled His promise to Jacob, brought him to the end of his journey away from home, and later brought him home safely. Jacob returned from his journey married to two women, with many children, thousands of livestock, and even a new name - Israel. He and his brother even reconciled when he returned. Things were not the same for Jacob after his journey - in fact, they turned out better than he expected.
God has promised to be with us every step of this journey we are forced to make. He loves us and cares for us, and so He makes a promise that cannot be broken - the promise to be with us at every moment. We know that His promise is real and reliable, because it is a promise sealed in blood - the blood of Jesus on the cross. If God fulfilled His greatest promise of all, sending His Son to save us from sin, then we know that He will keep every promise He makes to us. Although we are apprehensive and fearful about facing the new day, we can still look forward to what is coming next with hope. Once there is an end to this pandemic - and we believe that God is working to bring an end to it - things may turn out better than we expect. They will certainly not be the same. But the results of everything we have had to go through will have taught us valuable lessons to change our lives and lifestyles for the better. God is with us, to bring us safely to the end of our journey. With Him, we can face a new day, because He has promised to be with us always.
Lord God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
- Lutheran Book of Worship, pp. 137 and 153
"I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (Genesis 28:15 NIV)
By now, things have definitely changed. Things simply are not the same as they once were. We are having to stay home, families are having to homeschool children, many people who work in healthcare, childcare, and other "essential" jobs have extra workloads, and those who are working from home are still dealing with the realities of doing so. Stores still remain short of certain items. Many people have been laid off from their jobs, and are wondering about finding a new paycheck. The number of those infected increases exponentially, and the death toll continues to rise. The pandemic has put us on a journey, which we do not exactly how it will end, and of which we remain a bit wary and even fearful. We wonder if this pandemic will ever end, and how it will end.
In today's Scripture passage, Jacob was also on a journey which made him fearful. He had to flee from being killed by his brother Esau, away from his parents, to another country, to live with relatives. He had no idea what was going to happen to him, how he was going to end up, or if he was even going to survive the journey. He had no idea what the outcome of everything was going to be, only that he was being forced to make the journey. And so, on his first night on the road, God appeared to him, showing him his glory to let him know for certain it was God speaking to him. God then promised to be with him, and that He would not only bring Jacob safely to his destination, but safely back home again.
Ultimately, God fulfilled His promise to Jacob, brought him to the end of his journey away from home, and later brought him home safely. Jacob returned from his journey married to two women, with many children, thousands of livestock, and even a new name - Israel. He and his brother even reconciled when he returned. Things were not the same for Jacob after his journey - in fact, they turned out better than he expected.
God has promised to be with us every step of this journey we are forced to make. He loves us and cares for us, and so He makes a promise that cannot be broken - the promise to be with us at every moment. We know that His promise is real and reliable, because it is a promise sealed in blood - the blood of Jesus on the cross. If God fulfilled His greatest promise of all, sending His Son to save us from sin, then we know that He will keep every promise He makes to us. Although we are apprehensive and fearful about facing the new day, we can still look forward to what is coming next with hope. Once there is an end to this pandemic - and we believe that God is working to bring an end to it - things may turn out better than we expect. They will certainly not be the same. But the results of everything we have had to go through will have taught us valuable lessons to change our lives and lifestyles for the better. God is with us, to bring us safely to the end of our journey. With Him, we can face a new day, because He has promised to be with us always.
Lord God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
- Lutheran Book of Worship, pp. 137 and 153
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