Scripture: Isaiah 25:6-9 (NRSV)
It is easy to fall into God’s comfortable arms of grace, and carry on with our busy lives.
It is easy to lay our heads on our pillows, and make a quick and mediocre prayer to fulfill our “Christian duty.”
It is easy to ignore God’s omnipresence that is constantly trying to catch our attention, so we may seek Him.
It is easy to focus and submerge into our work, relationships and ourselves, and only think of God on Sundays.
It is extremely easy to think that our relationships with God are fine, and what we do is enough to maintain a status as a “follower of Christ.”
But when hardships in life force us to see a new reality, all of a sudden our world is shaken and held upside down.
It is hard to find comfort and peace amidst our busy lives.
It is hard when we lay our heads on our pillows, only to spend sleepless nights of agony and confusion.
It is hard to ignore thoughts that constantly tell us that we are hopeless.
It is extremely hard to find the strength to extinguish the burning sorrow in our souls.
Frankly, it is easier to view life as purposeless, senseless and worthless.
Yet, when we are facing anguish and affliction, God has promised to wipe away our tears from our faces, remove our disgrace and provide a refuge and salvation. So stand up, hope and believe that God is near.
Scripture: Isaiah 25:6-9 (NRSV)
On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. 7And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever. 8Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
9It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.