Psalm 80:17-19
Betty Whiting
”You may be able to drive through to your cabin but we can’t guarantee you’ll be able to come back out,” the forest ranger told us as rain fell. We turned around. The next day bridges and miles of road had been washed out. Those at East Rosebud Lake and their cars were lifted out by helicopter.
The river coming from Granite Peak had broken its banks creating truck-sized boulders to crash into one cabin and to create a 6 foot crevice between neighbors’ cabins.
“Maybe Mother Nature doesn’t want us there,” a grandchild contemplated. Our earthly paradise is closed for a couple years.
Climate change changes the earth. . . and us. Weather chaos reminds us God is in charge, with majestic mountains and wild rivers determining their own formations. We cannot control swirling hurricanes, horrendous flooding, and ferocious wildfires. The awesome patterns of nature humble us.
The psalmist in Psalm 80:17-19 asks us to call on God and not to turn away. Jesus is at God’s right hand to revive us. Jesus’ birth is a time of renewal when once again we know the Creator’s love. Land can heal and so can we. God Almighty’s face will once again shine on us.
Prayer from GTG Hymn 355: Hear Our Cry, O Lord. Enthroned above all worlds, you shine with holy light. Lord, pour your power upon us all and save us with your might. O come; Lord, come; restore and save us now.
Action: Allow time to lament and listen to each other’s pain. Then turn to feel God’s face shining on you, restoring you and the land, and hear nature singing once more.
--
No comments:
Post a Comment