Greg Bohlken
March 16, 2021
“But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel; Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” – Isaiah 43:1
I’ve had a GREAT devotion perking in my brain for a week. Then the day before my devotion was due, I had a heart-sinking angry fearful whopper of a disagreement with a close relationship over a text message. I was distraught, down, injured, heartsick about relational damage. My original devotion didn’t fit anymore. It was too clinical, too neat and tidy. Where is God when everything breaks? How do you see God’s faithfulness in those moments when the people who remind you of God have hurt you, and when you so easily hurt those very ones you know to be created in God’s image?
Two things popped into my mind – the Isaiah passage above, and a song by Rich Mullins, “We Are Not As Strong As We Think We Are.” Take 4 minutes to click this link and listen… https://youtu.be/B9vogh4Il34
That’s just it. Life is frail, our relationships are hard, we are not as strong as we think we are. Lent is a time to go deep in reflection and confession, aching to reclaim and rekindle what God is stirring in us. We let go of the false sense that we have what it takes on our own. And we can do that difficult, fragile work in the knowledge that God is faithful. God continually comes and says, “Do not be afraid… you are mine.”
Modern-day prophet Shane Claiborne says he regularly prays the Fruits of the Spirit by simply speaking the list out loud, slowly, thoughtfully pondering how those fruits describe who God is and asking God to make us more like that.
We pray:
Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-Control
Amen.
And if that’s got you chewing on something this Lent, consider going deeper, taking 10 minutes to watch this powerful video called “God’s Chisel” by The Skit Guys at this link… https://youtu.be/AhfUzodLRvk
