2020 Daily Devotion - Day 95

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When our children were younger, we decided to take a road trip one summer for vacation. We decided to drive up to northern California. My wife, Torild, had diligently made reservations with hotels at timely stops along the way. One of the reasons was because our daughter, Astrid, at the time was only 16 months old, and needed more breaks along the way than our son, Sean, who was older. The first day looked like it would be the longest, but we had a reservation in Sequoia National Park. So after several hours of driving, we arrived at the front gate of the park and I asked a ranger how long it would take to get to this particular hotel. He said it would be another six hours. I replied, “Your kidding, six hours?” And he said, “Yep!”

As we drove away, I said to Torild, “There is no way it’s going to take six hours to get to this hotel.” But it did. With our car fully packed, Sean, in the back seat, had to have his feet resting on luggage, and Astrid was in her car seat. Needless to say, we were in for quite an incredible experience. For the next six hours, with the road twisting and turning, our little daughter would moan, cry and wail every fifteen minutes. It was unbelievable. I remember after about two or three hours of this constant crying, we all broke out in laughter; except Astrid, for whom there was nothing to laugh about. I will never ever forget that trip. It was the last one of that type that we ever took.

Sometimes during this pandemic, I have felt like I was once again on the trip to Sequoia National Park. Many things have changed, of course. Our children are now adults with families of their own. But this sense of having one expectation turn into something you could have never anticipated, is the same. This feeling where you know it will end at some point, but at the same time feeling like it never will, pervade our thoughts. It has been a truly challenging time.

In moments like these we need to take counsel from the Word of God; the Bible.

Psalm 27:14 NRSV
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

Pray with me:
Heavenly Father, we often think we have it all figured out. We know what is coming and believe that we can handle it. And then, we face something we never expected, and discover we can’t handle it as well as we thought. In these moments, we need You and Your grace. Help us to “wait” for You. Help us to be strong and to have courage as we wait for You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Yours because of Him,
Pastor John R. Steward
Senior Pastor
Mount of Olives Church
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