This reminds me of Jesus’ promise to us that He will stand before us in the storms. We will still be in the storm just as the breakwaters, the seawall, and the lakefront are, but He protects us from what would destroy us.
I have a visual of His one arm holding us close – the other extended to protect us from danger. This is the reason I believe: I can look at my life and know and see how time after time He was there. When friends showed up. Solutions came from nowhere. Peace came over me. Realizing prayer was {and still is and always will be} my best option -yes we all get to choose. There was nothing of me left to give to a situation. Learning to embrace the beauty of being still and watching God at work in my life. It is there in that space – peace flows like a river.
As this new year begins, we know it is true: Life is not easy and the storms are still to come, but allowing God to journey through them with us, the fair winds and following seas will come too.
“Lord, we reach out to You. We thank You for new beginnings. A new year. Renewed hope for a better year ahead. Thank You, Lord, for how You make all things new. It is when we turn to You and decide to follow You that we can begin anew. Our situations often don’t change Lord, but we know we can change our response. It is there we sense You close to us. It is there we become aware of Your presence in ways we have missed. Create in us a desire to earnestly seek You and look for You in our daily lives. We thank You for new. We thank You for hope. We thank You for loving us. In Jesus’ name – Amen.”
Happy New Year Everyone!