The Plumbline

Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness. (Desmond Tutu) The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever. (Psalm 121:7-8) We might not feel like much 'watchfulness' is occurring at times, life spiraling out of control, things happening outside of our influence, but definitely influencing our lives in one way or another. What do we do when things start to spiral? Do we immediately jump into the worrying mode, fear creeping in, feeling a bit intimidated by the moment? Do we lift a quick prayer to God for his help and assurances? When all around us is in chaos, it is sometimes hard to remember God keeps watch - no matter the circumstances! Light despite all the darkness - isn't that what Tutu said? It sounds a bit like our Psalm today, doesn't it? We may come and go, today and in the future, and God's care over us will never be disrupted. A disruption i...

Lord, your word continues forever in heaven. You are loyal forever and ever. You made the earth, and it still stands. All things continue today because of your laws. Like slaves, they all obey you. (Psalm 119:89-91) God's care and watchfulness keep all things in this state of continual renewal. It is a little appreciated fact that God's breath animates the world around us, keeping the things in alignment within the universe, making the tides swell and recede. The very watchfulness of God should give us encouragement in the dark times when we think there is nothing going as it should, or the high and impenetrable walls of stress are closing in around us. There is nothing which exists or continues in its existence (and this includes us), which doesn't do so because he has made it possible for it to exist! Like it or not, suffering is part of life. We are not exempt from the troubles of life that occur by being inside a human body subject to the aging process. We aren'...