“Give thanks to the Lord for He is good and His love endures forever.” Psalm 136:1
This is my go to verse whenever I get anxious about life. I paint it on every memory. I repeat it over all my tomorrows. I breathe it for every breath. Then with thanksgiving I praise God for coming and dying for me that I might say it with confidence.
Sunset over Arches National Park.
In the desert of coronavirus:
In the desert,
the heat shrivels up life.
In the desert,
only doubts form in the salty flats.
In the desert,
your trust in God begins to wilt.
In the desert,
love dries up and cracks.
In the desert,
you fight the thoughts of dying.
In this pandemic remember:
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10
Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
they make it a place of springs; Psalm 84:5-6
Take heart with God’s help, we can make this calamity place of springs.
My desert His palette
What makes this day?
A day with work and toil,
A day with struggle and worry,
A day with grief and sadness,
Jesus makes this day filled with His love.
He makes it a day of salvation from my troubles,
A day of deliverance from my foes,
A day where past failure is forgiven,
A day where hope can flourish,
A day with purpose and meaning,
A day of good things for me to do,
A day of guidance to His pasture,
A day of communion with God,
A day of feasting in His presence,
A day of giving thanks for His unfailing love,
Thank You Lord for making this day for me.
A reminder for your desert days from Psalm 107
A dry parched land
Wandering in a parched land my day is dry and shriveled. I begin to wonder where is God?
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent. Psalm 22:1-2
This psalm says what I feel. Farther into the psalm I discover that this is prophesy of Jesus on the cross.
I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.
They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing. 1Psalm 22:17-18
With that insight comes help, for I know He knows the desert I am in. That is why He came—to help me.
Thank You Lord.
Sunrise near Page AZ
Each place seen here is in itself a rock filled wasteland, a desert. But seen from a distance at sunrise — beauty breaks forth. Some day we will have the long perspective on the deserts of our lives … and that will be glorious.
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)
Stephen L Hufman 