Rescued From Darkness

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—
(Psalm 107:1, 2a NIV)

Psalm 107 is a psalm of stories... Stories of God coming to the rescue in various situations. And stories of sinners being rescued by Grace. There are no better stories than those told by Christians who have been rescued from very dark places by God. And the Christian community is full of such stories!

Today I am going to a funeral for a friend's husband. He leaves behind his wife and two teenaged boys. But God has been working in the lives of this family for a long time. It is evident in Nancy's ever-present smile and her interest in the lives of others even though her life has been plenty enough to handle.

God pulled Nancy and her family out of the darkness before the darkness ever came. Of course she grieves, but she also maintains that deep inner joy in the knowledge that God really IS good... ALL the time. He is good even when healing doesn't happen on this side of heaven's gates. He is good even when we don't know how we are going to pay the overwhelming medical bills. He is good even when we don't know where we are going to go from here.

God will always rescue us from the dark places if we are willing to be rescued. When he does, we always have a powerful and amazing story to tell, and it is the depths of our joy that turns that darkness to light.

Father,
I lift my sister Nancy up to you today as she faces the difficult task of saying goodbye to her husband. Help her to continue to feel the joy of the light you bring to these dark times. Amen.

Joys: a head start on Holy Week work; lunch with Daniel and Tracy; quiet mornings