Tuesday Devotion

Campus ministry devotional by Bishop Herman R. Yoos, SC Synod, ELCA

  

Isaiah 43:1-3

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.
²When 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.
³For I am the LORD your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

 

When have you recently gone through some fiery times of conflict or raging waters that you have no control over? It is difficult in the midst of these moments to hear God saying to us, “Fear Not, I have called you by name and you are mine!”  Yet it is precisely in the midst of these challenging experiences that God invites us to remember our deepest identity as baptismal children of God.

 

This scripture recently came to my mind as I learned about the flooding and mud slides that were occurring in Colorado. For those living in Boulder, these were not figurative but literal experiences of overflowing streams and rivers that swept away cars, homes and some lives as well. My nephew, Mark Changaris, was one of those who had his rented home flooded with muddy water. After a stressful day of salvaging personal belongings, while checking on their neighbors and friends, my nephew sat down at the piano and played a haunting melody called “Mad World.” His roommate captured this moment of tranquility in the midst of chaos and uploaded a brief video of Mark’s piano playing onto You Tube. It went viral with over 1,000,000 views which led to an interview of my nephew with some reporters from CNN. Here is a link to his playing and to the brief interview http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoMZ7qkmRGM.

 

 

Now if you keep in mind how God spoke through the prophet Isaiah saying, “when you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you…” doesn’t it seem likely that God was sending a similar message through my nephew playing the piano? It was a message of hope for the future. It was the same promise that God gave to the Israelites as they were feeling afraid and overwhelmed about the prospects of leaving Babylon and crossing a dangerous wilderness. It is the same promise God offers to us in the midst of the uncertainties and challenges that threaten us today, whether it involves a government shutdown over ideological differences and the inability to compromise, or the ups and downs of an uncertain job market. Notice that God doesn’t promise to eliminate the external threats that cause the fear, so much as God promises to be with us in the midst of these situations, always reminding us that God’s love is deeper, stronger, and wider than the fiery times and raging waters. That is the promise of hope that our world still desperately needs to hear and know.

 

 

Let us pray

 

God,

 

Give us moments of clarity and peace in the midst of the everyday challenges we face. Help us to remember when we are most anxious that you are present with us and that you call each of us by our names. Be with all those in our world who live every day in the midst of fearful and threatening dangers, and speak to them words that bring hope and new life.