Our family loves to go camping. We especially love to camp in the North Carolina mountains. Every summer we try to choose a location near a good stream to play in, or a good trail to hike on. We try to choose a place that is off the beaten path to avoid the crowds and potential road noise. Location is everything!

In the book of Numbers in the Bible, we find the Israelites camping in the wilderness. God gives them very careful instructions about where to set up their tents and how to organize their camp. They are each given a specific site surrounding the tabernacle which is the place God has promised to dwell. It is clear that God wants to be near his people.

In a commentary on Numbers, Joshua Kang writes, “Just as God dwelt among the Israelites to reassure them in the wilderness, God wants us to experience his presence now. In the spiritual life, we are called to ‘camp’ in God’s presence – to go deeper into our own hearts, where Christ dwells, as we learn to be loved by him and to worship him.”

Today may you find a location where you can sit still and attend to God’s presence, listen for God’s voice, and allow God’s healing grace to rest on you. 

Let us pray: God of Hope, often we find ourselves in the wilderness of life, sometimes lost, lonely, or confused, other times overwhelmed with awe at the beauty that surrounds us. Often we forget that you are as near to us as our next breath. Today, we ask you to help us find moments to camp in your presence, to receive your Spirit, and to tap once again into the very Source of life. Thank you for drawing close to us. We draw near to you – even now. Amen.

All four Gospels tell a little different account of the Easter story. But all four have in common that Mary Magdalene was at least among the first at the tomb that morning. We don’t know much about her, but obviously, Jesus had touched her life in a deep way.

The Gospel of John tells us, “…while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb…” (John 20:1)

Most likely, this is a reference to the time of day. But perhaps it could also be a reference to the state of her soul. We find her weeping by the tomb… And we can imagine that in her soul, “…it was still dark.”

Often, we look at the world around us and we wonder at the darkness. Sometimes we look at our own lives, and we wonder at the darkness. Sometimes it is hard to hope.

The Irish poet and philosopher John O’Donohue writes, “We live between the darkness and the light… We are ever on this journey between the two. Every morning, we come out of the dark territories of dreaming into waking awareness of the day. At birth, each of us made a journey from darkness into light… A human life is guided, balanced, and poised by the light of the mind and spirit of the person. We live between the darkness and the light.”

We are ever experiencing some of both. But if the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection shows us anything, it is that even while it is still dark, even when we can’t see it, God is at work.

I wonder how God may be at work in your own life, even now. I wonder how God might be at work in the dark places of our hearts and in the dark places of our world. I wonder what new things God may be preparing to do.

The promise of our Easter faith is that there is more beyond this life and that what is dead and gone, can give rise to something new, something beautiful. While it is still dark, God is already at work!

Let us pray: Holy God, You are the God who brings light out of darkness, hope out of despair, and even life out of death. Meet us at the deepest point of our need today. Fill us with your light. And may that light ever shine through us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

A word of thanks is extended to all who so graciously support the Dial Hope ministry. Hope happens because of you.

The beautiful hymn, Praise to the Lord, The Almighty, was written by Joachim Neander in 1680. I’ve read that early on in life, Neander was a typical preacher’s child, rebellious and a little irreverent. At age 20, he gathered with a group of students to ridicule the worshipers at St. Martin’s church in Bremen, Germany. But somehow the sermon that day caught his attention and he felt convicted, and he later converted. He wrote this hymn at age 30, the same year he died while fighting tuberculosis.  

Today, hear again the words to the fourth verse and join your heart in praise and adoration: 

Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore Him. All that hath life and breath come now with praises before him. Let the ‘Amen’ sound from his people again. Gladly for aye we adore Him. 

Let us pray: God of Grace, it is beautiful to look back and see your hand at work in our lives and in others’ lives. It is beautiful to see hearts move from doubt and even ridicule to praise. Meet us today wherever we are on the journey. May your healing Spirit fall upon us, that we might join our voices with all that has life and breath to give you our glad adoration. Amen.

In the story of Abraham, in the book of Genesis – after the birth of Ishmael, Abraham waits 13 years for another word from the Lord. 13 years of silence. Abraham is an old man at this point. God has promised him an heir, and he knows it is not Ishmael. So Abraham waits in faith, and God is faithful.

In our culture today, we’ve become accustomed to getting what we want when we want it. And we get impatient. We want to see spiritual growth today. We want our confusing scary situation to change now. We want our loved ones to get well immediately. But life doesn’t always unfold according to our timetable. Sometimes, as difficult as it is, we have to wait.  

Of course, we do have a choice. We can wait in anxiety and worry. We can wring our hands and complain bitterly to anyone who will listen. Or, we can learn to wait with patience – and with trust. 

Yes, there may be steps we need to take. There may be issues we need to talk through. There may be heart-felt prayers that need to be lifted up. But, once we’ve done our part, we can trust that life is in God’s hands. This is not easy, but truly there is no sound alternative.

Patience is one of the fruits of the Spirit. Pastor and scholar Joshua Kang makes the claim that patience is a prerequisite for peace – in every sense of the word. He writes, “People who have patience lack nothing. People who have patience have everything.”

Let us pray: Pour out your Spirit on us again this day, Loving God. Fill our cups to overflowing again with your grace. For sometimes it is hard to wait for answers to our prayers. In our daily struggles, we need your strength. We need to be reminded that you are good and that you are with us. Grant us the patience and the courage we need for this day. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Today’s message was written by my friend, Rev. Roger Kunkel, founder of Dial Hope.

“in the beginning was the Word” (John 1:1). Everything – understanding, friendship, communication with other people and with God – it all begins with a word. We do not live by bread alone. We live by words. And yet the truth is, sometimes our words do get us into trouble. Many of us are prone to that common malady called, “foot-in-mouth disease”. 

The Prayer of the Realist begins with the words, “Lord, you know that I am growing older.” It goes on to plead with God to grant deliverance… from talking too much, from stating strong opinions on every subject, from the recitation of endless detail, from complaining constantly about recurring aches and pains, from thinking that we are always right, from nosiness and bossiness and self-righteousness. The prayer then expresses the tongue-in-cheek notion that it is such a shame to not use all this incredible store of wisdom and experience the author has accumulated over the years. The prayer concluded with this sentence, “But you know, O Lord, that when the end comes, I do want to have a few friends left. Amen.”

The point is clear. Sometimes we say the wrong things. Sometimes our words hurt other people. But, thankfully, there is another side to that coin; words can help and heal. Words can soothe restore and redeem. If you and I were to make a list of the most beautiful words in the world, there would be at the top of the list: you are loved, you are forgiven, and you are needed. Don’t ever forget these powerful, healing words.

Let us pray: O God of the wilderness, we stumble, mumble and bumble like victims of a desert sandstorm. We lose sight of your steadfast love in the cold winds of doubt. We fail to trust your love as try to control our lives. We disregard the needs of others as we seek to meet our own. Forgive our mistakes and set us again on the road that leads through death into the newness of life. For we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.