Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”
NL Daily Devotion for Wednesday, December 14, 2022
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Such beautiful words of hope this Advent. No matter how challenging our lives are, God never abandons us. All of us, no matter who we are, deal with difficulties. It’s a bad idea to try to compare our issues to those of others. Either we determine that our difficulties are far less than those experiencing “real” trauma and we decide that we do not deserve God’s help, or we determine that we have it worse than others and are in danger of spiraling into self-pity, wondering “why me?”
Know that whoever you are, whatever you are struggling with, you matter to God. God calls you by name and you are God’s. God created you and is with you always in every circumstance no matter what. And you deserve whatever help and hope you receive in your grief or pain or sorrow.
May you live in the peace of God’s promise that all will be restored.
Do I find myself comparing my difficulties to others’? How can I move away from that practice toward a radical acceptance of where I am and of the promise of God’s help?