God Is Up to Something...

 

Scripture

Psalm 9: 9-14

 The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
    a stronghold in times of trouble.
¹⁰ And those who know your name put their trust in you,
    for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

¹¹ Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion.
    Declare his deeds among the peoples.
¹² For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
    he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

¹³ Be gracious to me, O Lord.
    See what I suffer from those who hate me;
    you are the one who lifts me up from the gates of death,
¹⁴ so that I may recount all your praises,
    and, in the gates of daughter Zion,
    rejoice in your deliverance.  (NRSV)

Devotion

 I like to listen to the radio stations on long car trips... and my recent trip to visit my family in West Virginia was no exception.   As I wound my way through the mountains and jumped from on static-filled  station to the next, I was struck by the tale of regional woe that was painted by the radio commercials.  There were medicals ads for patients in search of black lung and cancer specialists. Lawyers who promised to help you fight for your disability or unemployment claims.  Announcements regarding a change in hours at the local clothing closet.  Numbers to call for help recovering from an opioid or gambling addictions interspersed with casino and beer commercials.  And on and on and on.  

None of this suffering was new to to me.  If anything, it felt familiar.  Still, I had been away from home just long enough for me to feel the true weight of the burdens that the people there--the people I love and still think of as my own--carry.  Even the weather reflected how difficult life can be there, for it as one of those cold, wet, gray days when the mist from long hanging clouds in the mountains seeps down into the valleys below.  Each commercial break left me feeling more sad, betrayed, and helpless.  And the billboards lining the road with similar messages only made things seem more bleak.  The road my people were on seemed bleak.  How could God leave my people to suffer like this?  And who besides the Almighty could  possibly fix such a vast a set of interconnected issues?

God, though, didn't leave me in my torment for long.  For as I shifted to yet another random radio station, the bridge to the song "God, Turn it Around" started coming through the speakers.  I have never heard this song before, but the words caught my attention: 

He is up to something.

He is up to something.  

God is doing something right now.   

He is healing someone.  

He is saving someone.

God is doing something right now.   

He is moving mountains, 

making a way for someone.  

God is doing something right now.

These lyrics were exactly what I needed to change my perspective on things.  You see God doesn't promise that life will always be full of sunshine and roses.  That's not the way our sinful world works.  But what scripture does promises is that when life is hard, God will be with us.  God will be our strength throughout even the worst of oppression and suffering.  And we can trust that no matter how bad things may seem, God is up to something to make it better.

The more I thought about things from this perspective, the more the ads and billboards that had made me feel so hopeless and helpless began to tell me a story of of deliverance.  Yes, people are dying of horrible diseases often caused by the very industries they work for.... but there are dedicated doctors who are doing everything they can to get them the treatment they need.  Yes, the poverty, disability, and unemployment numbers are staggeringly high...but there are all kinds of agencies and religious organizations helping people get by day to day while other groups offer a variety of opportunities to get back on your feet. And yes, addiction is a terrible, deadly thing... but there resources in place to guide people along the road to recovery. 

As my perspective began to shift, I noticed something about the road through the mountains.  Yes, it was a gray and misty day.... but the redbud trees lining the interstate were in full and glorious bloom.  That brilliant purple ribbon of trees was guiding me ever closer to the warmth and safety of my parents' home, one mile at a time.  And blaze of color wound its way through the gray landscape, I found myself admitting that God is indeed up to something in West Virginia.

God is healing people.  God is saving people.  God is working through all kinds of people to move mountains' worth of problems and help others find their way.  God is doing all of it right now.  

That knowledge was enough to make me rejoice in my people's coming deliverance.  When I drove back through the mountains on my way back to North Carolina a few days later, that song can back on the radio.  This time, I traveled under a bright blue sky.

We all have burdens to bear and know of problems that need fixed.  The next time life's trials and tribulations begin to feel insurmountable, I encourage you to ask God to give you a change in perspective so that you can get a glimpse of whatever God is up to those situations.  May you find reasons to rejoice in the deliverance that is coming.  May each of us play our parts in helping God turn things around in the name of Jesus.  And may we never forget that no matter how gray and dark the world may seem, a bright new day is coming.

 

Prayer

Jesus, you know the pain, afflictions, and hardships that burden my soul.  May your Spirit give me a sign of what you are doing in those situations, so that I rejoice in your goodness.  No matter what trials and tribulations we face, I will forever praise your name.  For you are my hope.  My rock.  The source of my deliverance.  And I trust that you are already turning things around.  Amen.