Dear Harpeth Hills,
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea…The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” Psalms 46:1-2, 11
How we long to be reunited with you! We miss being with you. We have the same feelings that the father of the Prodigal Son must have experienced. We eagerly await a reunion at an unspecified future date. All we can do is to keep looking down the road for that happy occasion.
Would you feel better if you knew exactly how the next few days or weeks were going to go? One of the more unsettling things about the pandemic is our limited frame of reference. We’re used to guessing at what is going to happen based on what has happened in the past, but none of us have seen anything like this before. So what can we do?
As the old hymn says, “Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand.” Remember that **God is**. While there is chaos in our material world, there is a constant throughout all of eternity – God. Second: **God cares**. God sent His only son to live with us and die for us. Finally: **God acts**. God is active in our world. He does not abandon us to stumble blindly through this life while He prepares Heaven.
One of the challenges for us during this time is to manage the stress we feel due to uncertainty. We prefer having the clearest and most complete view – of everything. People have always wanted to see and to know what the future holds.
If we look a little more closely, our vision might improve. We may begin to recognize that “God with us” may look remarkably like the customer who let us take the last carton of eggs, or the couple who checked to see if we were okay, or the woman who had a devotional thought or prayer that lifted our spirits.
Our hope is that Jesus will return quickly and make the world pure and disease free. If His coming is delayed, we pray that current events will lift everyone’s eyes to the Savior.
You’re not alone; you never were and never have to be. We miss you. We love you.
Your Shepherds