Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour my spirit upon your descendants,
and my blessing on your offspring.”
NL Daily Devotion for Saturday, January 30, 2021
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
We are thirsty for hope these days. Like Israel who was exiled, cut off from their home and their way of living, we have been cut off from one another and from all the activities we so took for granted in the days before the pandemic. We have mourned for those who have died, watched in horror as so many have refused to follow basic procedures to prevent the spread of the disease, cried out our frustration over our powerlessness, our isolation, our illness.
The Israelites saw their exile as just punishment for their sins. I don’t believe the pandemic is a punishment for sin. Consequences of our actions? Sure. But God didn’t do it to us.
Even so, God’s word of hope to the Israelites is our word of hope today. God has promised never to forsake us. To be with us in the midst of all our suffering. God is right here, suffering with and for us. And there will come a time when God’s spirit will be poured out in blessing again.
Gracious God, sustain me in my struggles today, and remind me of the promise of restoration in you. Amen.
