Christian Counseling Service -- Devotions

The rain is gone

Thursday, April 20, 2017

From Luke 24
While the disciples spoke among each other about Jesus, he stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you." But they were startled and terrified and thought they were seeing a ghost.

Circling and circling, into the flowers the bee flies. Making honey. The butterfly follows. Making butter. And then one day the brown bear named Pooh comes, looking for his favorite treat. Making pooh. By now the flowers have spun their magic and set seed somewhere downwind. And there was evening and there was morning - the next day.

Life flows into spring, and through summer, and is not overcome by fall. Life waits quietly in the winter, and then springs up again.

Cleopas' story stood on its own, of course. But how could we believe? We are compelled by the seasons of life to accept the fact of death. We have not yet heard that death no longer carries sting or dominion. We know so many who have left their bodies behind. We will too. So did Jesus.

My friend's wife was dying. He knew and so did she. They loved each other and spent time together every day. They laughed and played games and swam in their pool and took care of family and friends. They made meals together, and fed each other gobs of honey and butter.

He did not expect to live so long. He told God so. He was angry. "This is unacceptable!" he cried. "This is unconscionable. What you are doing is violent and horrifying. How can you?" He screamed and cried and shook in rage. His wife was dying.

Nearby, God heard his cries and filled the room so my friend could barely breathe. His forehead creased with the heaviness on his head. He heard the sound of God. He fell down, fell on his knees, fell into faint and whispered, "Thank you." He found his tears.

My friend does not want to explain this. Much more important that he was compelled to accept it. His pain did not diminish. He needed his wife as much as ever. He needed God as much as ever. But his neediness ... diminished.

Perhaps you could say, like Jesus did in another context, that God increased as his wife decreased. But no, the only decrease was in his emptiness, which the devil had tried to fill with fear and doubt.

Didn't this happen to the disciples too? And Jesus came. And won't this also happen to me, hasn't it already happened? How many moments do I count on both my hands when we might have died, but then Jesus came.

We really don't have to wonder, Lord, what it would be like without you, because you are always here. Nearby you are here, listening for the right moment to get down on your knees and hug me, and love me like a rock. Love me like the rock of ages. No question today, tomorrow or any other: it's gonna be a bright, bright, bright, sunshiny day.

Devotions Archive

The rain is gone

Thursday, April 20, 2017