Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“The people of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy.”
NL Daily Devotion for Friday, December 20, 2019
by R. Fergus Moir, Clergy Stuff
The Israelites had reason to party. After the destruction of Jerusalem and years of exile, they were together again as a nation and their temple—God’s very house—had been rebuilt. The Psalmist’s cries for restoration have been heard and the people dedicate the new temple with joy.
I suffer from clinical depression. It’s in good control with medication, but once in a while I go down, without any explanation. In those dark places, despite my faith, I feel abandoned, and I wonder whether this will be my “new normal,” if I’ll ever experience joy again. When I come out the other side, I feel like my old self, capable of feeling joy and sorrow without despair. I know that God has been with me through the entire episode, holding me and supporting me even though I might not have been able to see or feel it. And when the fog clears, I give thanks with joy, just like the restored Israelites.
We all experience periods of serious challenge, and like the Israelites, exiled from their destroyed city, we long for restoration. God promises over and over that God will never leave us, that sooner or later, restoration will come. And when it does, we will once again celebrate.
Ever-present God, in the depths of my struggles, remind me that you are always there, struggling with me. Amen.
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