Faith During the Storm

Image Courtesy of  Barbara Morgan

Scripture

James 5:10-11
¹⁰ As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ Indeed we call blessed those who showed endurance. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

Devotion

Today's devotion was originally going to rejoice in all the amazing ways that yesterday (Easter Sunday) has shown us the power of God's love.  That joyful post is still coming, but it won't appear until Wednesday. Today, we need to talk about perseverance in the midst of suffering.

In the wee hours of the morning, a powerful line of storms unleashed destruction across Anson County, North Carolina.  When my power came back on and I logged into Facebook a few hours later, my news feed was filled with images of downed trees and peeled back roofs.   A few people said they expected to be without power for days.  As I scrolled through images of yet more pain and need in what is already a time of crisis, my heart's balloon of Easter joy popped.  It was as if the world had said, "Easter Sunday is over.  Have another spoonful of suffering."

 Friends, the early Church knew what it meant to suffer.  The same apostles who saw the Risen Christ and went forth to spread the Good News experienced great sorrow.  The communities of faith they helped form were often made up of slaves and other outcasts who suffered greatly under the weight of Roman rule.  These tiny, scattered communities were distrusted by their neighbors and persecuted by the authorities.  They even lived under the constant threat of death at the hands of Rome.  James himself would be executed by Herod Agrippa.  Yes, these people found joy in the news of the Resurrection; but that joy didn't mean that weren't assailed by doubt, fear, and sorrow.  Life was hard for the Early Church.

James's letter asks us to keep trusting in God's compassion and mercy when life is hard.  He reminds us that we are not the first ones to encounter great suffering.  Like the prophets and Job before us, we need to remain patient and persevere in our faith.  It may be hard to see now, but God will guide us through all life's storms.  The day will come when those of us who keep hold of our faith and persevere in our work of spreading Christ's message of love, forgiveness, and compassion will be called blessed...not because we never experienced sorrow, but because our merciful Father helped us overcome it.  Through the grace of God, we get through hard times together and emerge into a better future.

Today, the suffering in my community is real.  But I have faith that God will help the people of Anson County recover from the devastation wrought by this morning's storms.  I know that through of the Grace of God, all of us can dig deep and find what it takes to keep persevering through the painful challenges we face.  And when histories are written about the pandemic of 2020, people will describe see how our perseverance made a positive difference in the world.  Like the chairs in the picture above, we may feel crushed by the weight of it all, but we are still standing.  We are still blessed.  And we can keep hold hold of our faith, because we know that our compassionate and merciful God will help us accomplish the purpose he has set for us.

 

Prayer

Our God, our help in ages past, give us the faith to keep persevering during this time of both constant heartache and swift-changing circumstances.  May we have the patience and endurance of the early Church so that our suffering does not stop us from proclaiming the Good News of your love.  Shelter and strengthen us during life's stormy blasts, so that we may never forget that through your grace, we are richly blessed.  Amen.