Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Though the fig tree does not blossom,
and no fruit is on the vines;
though the produce of the olive fails
and the fields yield no food;
though the flock is cut off from the fold
and there is no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will exult in the God of my salvation.
God, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
and makes me tread upon the heights.”
NL Daily Devotion for Wednesday, November 13, 2024
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Not just trust, but joy. This passage has always struck me because of this. It’s not just “well, things are hard but I can endure until it gets better.” No, it’s more like, “Things are awful and I will rejoice in God’s love!” I’m the first to admit it’s hard to be joyful when things are going wrong. Especially when they seem to have been going consistently wrong for a long, long time. I get tired. And when one more thing gets piled on the rest, I’m far more likely to say in anger, “Hey, God. What gives?!?” than I am to say “Thank you, God, for all the wonderful things I do have.”
Yet, when I do take the time to spend in gratitude, when I see all the ways God has shown up and continues to show up in my life, I find that joy somehow creeps in, and the challenges seem more bearable.
How can I find a state of gratitude even when things are going wrong for me?
