Psalms 73:23-26 & 28
Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand
You guide me with your counsel and afterward you will take me into glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you ?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.
At the beginning of this new year God gave me a word for this year. The word may seem a little odd, but it was “stripped.” I was hopeful, wanting to be stripped of sin that drags me down, debt, excess weight, unhealthy friendships. I was reminded of that word recently. In this time of social isolation we are being stripped of many of our comforts and coping mechanisms. Being stripped is not always comfortable, it can leave us feeling lost and a little vulnerable.
One of my favorite quotes is from Pascal, “There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God the Creator, made through Jesus Christ.”
From the beginning of time we have looked to other things, power, possessions, and people to fill the emptiness that was intended to be filled by God alone.
During this season of social isolation we are being stripped of many things that we look to for comfort. We can’t escape into sports or other forms of entertainment, even our go to “comfort food” pasta is being emptied from the shelves.
At the end of the day, we can’t hide into our busyness. As we are stripped from some of our comforts, relationships, may we cling to the One who is our true refuge and may we find our strength in Him alone.
I encourage you to reach out to someone in our congregation today, “Share of God’s deeds” to you, how He is meeting you in this time quietness and social isolation.
Father God, we confess that we have looked to other things, other people to fill our emptiness. Please forgive us. We need you, The living water, to quench our thirsty souls. We ask that you use this time of silence and stripping so that we turn to you completely. In the name of Jesus, Amen.