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March 28, 2022 8:00 pm
It was a hard day when my husband found out that, like so many others, he too would soon be furloughed from employment as a result of the COVID pandemic. We knew that we likely had no reason to fear that our basic needs would not be met, but the uncertainty was still terrifying.
As I processed my jumbled emotions, I found myself revisiting a favorite poem by sixteenth-century reformer John of the Cross. Entitled “I Went In, I Knew Not Where,” the poem depicts the wonder to be found in a journey of surrender, when, going “past the boundaries of knowing,” we learn to “discern the Divine in all its guises.” And so that’s what my husband and I are trying to do during this season, to turn our focus from what we can control and understand to the unexpected, mysterious, and beautiful ways God can be found all around us.
The apostle Paul invited believers to a journey from the seen to the unseen, from outward to inward realities, and from temporary struggles to the “eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17).
Paul urged this, not because he lacked compassion for their struggles. He knew it would be through letting go of what they could understand that they could experience the comfort, joy, and hope they so desperately needed (vv. 10, 15–16). They could know the wonder of Christ’s life making all things new.
Friends and welcome to today's encouragement in Our Daily Bread reading was written by Monica Lugo and she titled it past the boundaries of knowing it was a hard day when my husband found out that like so many others. He too would soon be furloughed from employment as a result of the coven 19 pandemic. We believed that God would meet our basic needs. But the uncertainty of how that would happen was still terrifying.
As I processed my jumbled emotions. I found myself revisiting a favorite poem by 16th-century reformer John of the Cross entitled Iranian I knew not where the poem depicts the wonder to be found in a journey of surrender when going past the boundaries of knowing you learn to discern the divine in all its guises and so that's what my husband and I tried to do during the season to turn our focus from what we can control and understand to the unexpected, mysterious and beautiful ways Can be found all around us.
In second Corinthians for the apostle Paul invited believers to a journey from the scene to the unseen from the outward to inward realities and from temporary struggles to the eternal glory that far outweighs them all. Paul didn't urge this because he lacked compassion for their struggles. He knew it would be through letting go of what they can understand that they could experience the comfort, joy and hope they so desperately needed.
They could no wonder of Christ's life making all things new. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional Scripture reading is from second Corinthians chapter 4 verses seven through 18. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed, perplexed, but not in despair persecuted, but not abandoned, struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body for we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body so then death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. It is written, I believed, therefore I have spoken since we have that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. Let's pray that in God there is so much heartbreak and uncertainty in our world so much that we can't understand. Help us to learn to follow you pass what we can understand the wonder of your life breathing new life all around us. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Thanks for listening today. My name is Alicia Reisinger and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread ministries
