This month I turned 46. As I reflect on the past year, I once again am astonished by one fact.
I have been gifted with exquisite, beautiful, by grace through faith, eternal life now and forever from the Creator of the the ends of the earth and the universe. Because of Him. All Him. Just Him.
I traveled around a bit of the world and met a lot of people in the last couple months. I am still processing and weeding through thousands of photos. And even more memories….from England, Germany, France, and Switzerland. What a joy to spend time with family and friends with three of our children, and such a privilege to meet Christian siblings at the churches I spoke at.
It was amazing to hear the stories. In England, an elderly gentleman “just really wanted to be a pig farmer, but God called me to trust in Jesus and follow him and I haven’t ‘worked’ a day since. Serving the Lord is pure joy.” He became a missionary and pastor for over fifty years. They haven’t been easy, but you wouldn’t know it. When he heard some good news on Easter, his response was “isn’t God astonishing?” Yes, yes He is.
In Nürnberg I heard from an older woman from Eastern Europe who had tried to pursue every other pleasure and religion for over forty years how “God pursued me and wouldn’t let me be until He had me, and though it hasn’t been easy, He is everything.” The woman next to her, who had been born in Viet Nam, nodded in agreement.
In Berlin I heard from a mother about the struggles in bridging the gap in a church that is half Russian and half German. Then there was a terrible jumpy castle accident, and as a result much more unity. Her little 9-year-old daughter, on falling face down from up high (in the accident), breaking her jaw, and having a concussion, remarked in the hospital “just like Job, although all this terrible stuff happened…I still believe God is good.”
I was privileged to speak publicly about the one and only, living, calling, pursuing, good God of the Bible. What a delight to find interest in hearing more about a relationship with God, or hear how encouraging my talk was! It was such a privilege. All from God, through His strength and wisdom. And all of it completely true. My eternal life and home are secure because of Jesus Christ dying on the cross of Calvary for my sins and rising again from the dead. I know this. For sure.
But at the end of the trip, I had to come back to Santa Rosa.
That was hard.
I didn’t get to drive up my driveway, go in my beautiful garden, see my familiar things…the list of “don’t get to anymore” goes on and on, ad nauseum.
It’s been dragging me down, and so discouraging. Driving through Coffey Park, the vacant lots and park grounds are covered in new growth of weeds and grass and garbage that has blown there, with the occasional new home popping up. It’s still such a topic of daily conversation. Santa Rosa is feeling it. This is such a long, hard road.
One friend put it well, saying we want to know “when will I feel normal again?” What is normal?
And then she mentioned going to her favorite place, the coast. There, everyone can clearly see the vastness of God’s creation, the majesty of His power, the smallness of me and my issues. She later sent me these verses from Psalm 63:5-7: “O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and the farthest seas; the One who by His strength established the mountains, being girded with might; Who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and most importantly the tumult of the peoples.”
I reflected on this passage and delighted in its words. He is my salvation. He is the hope of all the ends of the earth and the farthest seas. This became so clear to me in my travels…as I gazed on the countryside in England dotted with sheep and flowering thickets, flew over the English Channel, explored Germany from north to south, west to east (even seeing the Netherlands from across the channel), walking around quaint ancient cities in England, France, Switzerland, and Germany, seeing winter turn to spring repeatedly, climbing in the Alps, gazing at the snow-covered Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau with the turquoise Tünersee below, watching the rushing waters of the Thames, canals, Rhein, waterfalls, and Spree, walking the cobblestones, hearing the birds (even the cuckoo on a morning run), seeing fields of brilliant yellow flowers, hearing voices raised in prayer and songs of praise in other languages, seeing His love reflected in dear faces, being granted sweet times of fellowship and generosity, and flying home gazing down over countries, continents, and oceans…He is the one who by His strength established the mountains, being encircled with might. And He is the One “who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and most importantly the tumult of the peoples.”
I looked up “tumult” to better understand and flesh out what it means. Some synonyms are turmoil, confusion, disorder, disarray, unrest, chaos, turbulence, mayhem, maelstrom, havoc, upheaval, agitation, trouble. Sounds like my heart some days, for sure! And maybe some days yours? There were definite times of struggle and tumult in our travels. Sometimes in the most unexpected places. And definitely in Santa Rosa.
Today I read Psalm 117, which reads:
Praise the Lord, all nations!
Extol him, all peoples!
For great is his steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!
So this cemented my thoughts about these last months and year for me.
The command in this Psalm is to praise and extol the Lord, all nations and all peoples! That’s you wherever you are, that’s me wherever I am. Why? Because God has great steadfast love and enduring faithfulness. And salvation. Hope. Strength. Might. Stillness. He loves and remains forever and ever and ever, enduringly faithful. Praise Him!
Which brings me back to my one astonishing fact. I have been gifted with exquisite, beautiful, by grace through faith, eternal life now and forever from the Creator of the the ends of the earth and the universe. Because of Him. All Him. Just Him.
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