In the Midst of Everything

God is.  In the MIDST of EVERYTHING

That comes to me this morning during my morning prayer.  I begin the time reflecting on the past day that had times of peace and love and joy in my personal life.  I start to consider the sermon I will preach on the 9th of January and think about the power of Jesus to change our lives and the abundant life with God. 

And then I listen to "Pray as you go" which is also the scripture we will talk about tomorrow in our Bible study.  Matthew 2 contains the story of the wise men who go to see Jesus and on the way encounter Herod.  He urges them to return and tell him where the baby is so that he can worship him.  They are warned in a dream to go home a different way and he - in anger and fear - kills every baby in and near Bethlehem two years of age and under.  It is a story of evil, corruption, and greed.  It is in every way horrific.

And this plaintive text: 

 A voice was heard in Ramah,
    wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
    she refused to be consoled, because they are no more

 

 I sit and ponder the - for me - unimaginable grief at the death of children. Knowing that tomorrow in our conversation about this text, there will be people there who know that grief intimately.  And that children die - from covid, from gunshots, from poverty, from abuse -  daily.  We may not hear it, but there are voices heard by God - wailing, loud lamentation, weeping.

I have no answers or wisdom to the reality of evil in the world - it is and and always has been. I cherish the Lord's prayer because it names it for us all - lead us not into temptation, deliver us from evil.

My only consolation is the belief that God is in the midst of it all - hearing us in our pain and bringing us others to companion us through the valley of the shadow of death.  And for those children - those innocent children - there is another life with God after this. 

As I was walking downstairs to the computer this morning I found myself humming a hymn.  That clearly speaks to me this morning. Here are the words:

I need Thee every hour
Most gracious Lord
No tender voice like Thine
Can peace afford

I need Thee every hour
Stay Thou nearby
Temptations lose their power
When Thou art nigh

I need Thee every hour
In joy or pain
Come quickly and abide
Or life is vain

I need Thee, O I need Thee
Every hour I need Thee
O bless me now, my Savior
I come to Thee
O bless me now, my Savior
I come to Thee