"But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their
strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not be faint." Shhhh. Quiet, please. It is Lent.
Throughout the church year we claim to listen to the Word of God. But do we hear the
Word of God? Do we take time to quietly contemplate the words we hear on Sunday and during
Bible studies? Often we do not, because our lives are frenzied. We enter Sunday worship
into our day-planners. It is part of our weekly planning; we do not plan our week around
the Word of God.
We are restless, moving from one activity to another without seriously considering the
meaning of the events of our day. It is an easy way to live.
Easy now, because in order to truly hear the Word of God we must be quiet. Lent is the
season for penitence. It is a time for quiet contemplation of lost dreams, mislaid hopes
and misdeeds. Lent hurts, yet we must examine our lives in light of the Word. However,
when we do that we often feel grief and guilt over the past, and we become anxious about
the future.
Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in
me." In our restlessness, we ignore Godıs shelter and comfort. We do not know
God’s comfort because we are not idle long enough to realize our sinfulness and our
corresponding need for comfort.
Be still this afternoon. Contemplate the words you heard in worship today. Consider you
life in light of the Word of God. Allow your feelings, your tears, to spill forth. Let God
comfort and love you.
