You may know that American author Flannery O’Connor was a sincere Christian. Even though her writings are not classified as religious works, they are deeply spiritual. You may not know that in her mid-twenties, she was stricken with lupus, a terrible disease that attacks the joints. This severely restricted her movement, and she died young at the age of 39.

At one point, O’Connor’s aunt encouraged her to travel to Lourdes, France, to take a healing bath in the waters of the famous shrine there. O’Connor agreed to go, but only reluctantly. She wrote, “About the Lourdes business, I am going as a pilgrim, not a patient... I am one of those people who could die for his religion easier than I could take a bath for it.”

O’Connor understood that while miracles occasionally happen, they are not among God’s promises to us. While I am sure she would like to have been healed, in her own life she found that her faith was about more than just receiving.

Sometimes we pray for miracles, and I never discount that possibility. With God all things are possible. At the same time, the witness of people of faith over the centuries is this: Even in the midst of our own struggles, there is something restorative about giving and serving others. When we get outside of our own heads and focus on something other than ourselves, at a minimum, our spirits are lifted.

I don’t know what you might be going through in your own life, but today I pray that God would give you the strength you need day in and day out. And, in giving to others, however that might look, may you find deeper meaning, hope, courage, and even joy.

Our prayer today has been handed down to us over many centuries. It was written by Thomas à Kempis in the 1400s. Let us pray: Write your blessed name, O Lord, upon my heart, there to remain so indelibly engraved, that no prosperity, no adversity, shall ever move me from your love. Be to me a strong tower of defense, a comforter in tribulation, a deliverer in distress, a very present help in trouble, and a guide to heaven through the many temptations and dangers of this life. Amen.

There’s an old, no doubt apocryphal, story about a man who claimed to be the most accurate fortuneteller in the world. One day a young man came to this fortuneteller and said, “I have only one real question about my future: how will my life end?” The fortuneteller gazed into the crystal ball and then stated with conviction, “Your life will end when you die.”

No wonder he was so accurate!

The man nodded and then said, “Yes, but will I be happy?” “Ah,” said the fortuneteller, “that has nothing to do with the future but everything to do with what you do in the present!”

He was right again, wasn’t he?

God wants our lives to be joyful, abundant, and whole, supported by a solid foundation of faith.

In Psalm 81, God says, “If you would but listen to me… I would feed you with the finest wheat…” This promise is not just about food. It is not about material possessions or perfect health. Nor is it a promise that our problems will disappear. But it is a promise for a full, meaningful, and abundant life. If we would just listen…

Let us pray: God of hope, we come before you even now. We want to hear your voice. We need your guidance and your grace. As we pause to open our hearts, tune our souls to the movement of your Spirit. We rest now in your presence, trusting that you will grant us the wisdom we need for this day. Amen.

Rev. Stephen Crotts writes about a faithful and delightful English woman who kept a personal diary during the Second World War. The diary tells of her husband’s death in the war effort. It tells of food rationing and the horrible bombing of London. It tells of her children’s evacuation to the countryside.

One night in the midst of local bombings, the woman related that she woke up and could not get back to sleep. She kept thinking of Hitler’s invasion and S.S. troops. She trembled until she suddenly thought, “Where is Alexander the Great who gobbled up the world? Where is Caesar’s dogmatic rule, upheld on the tips of spears? Where is Napoleon? They are all in their graves and come to naught,” she wrote. “And that is where Hitler will be, too. The same God reigns!” And she rolled over, laughed, and went back to sleep!

When we read the papers or listen to the news with headlines about corruption, or war, or crime in our cities, it is easy to become gripped with fear. It is easy to become cynical or bitter or pessimistic. But that kind of fear is never productive. That kind of fear never leads to a better life.

In Psalm 46 we read:
God is our refuge and strength,
 a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear…

The apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians, “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Let us pray: O God of today and tomorrow, O God of ages past, we thank you for your faithfulness to us throughout all time. Help us to trust in you—even now—through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Many of us love the breathtaking music of Handel’s Messiah. It has a way of drawing us into the story of Christ in a way that is compelling, moving. It touches something deep within us.

I was interested to learn that this masterpiece was not written at the height of Handel’s career. It was written shortly after he had suffered a stroke and while he was living in poverty. At that point, Handel had been feeling tremendous despair. He felt a failure as a musician. It was out of the darkness that arose this inspiring and beautiful work of art.

Sometimes out of the darkest nights comes the most profound inspiration.

Scholar Timothy Beal, writing about spiritual formation, makes the claim that, “Darkness and uncertainty provide the environment most conducive to growth of the soul.”

Of course, most of us are not going to achieve creative genius during these tough times. However, these moments, while they are scary and difficult, are at the same time heavy with potential. There is potential for the soul to grow. There is potential to come out on the other side stronger, deeper, more beautiful, more faithful.

It is often in these moments, when there is nowhere else to turn, no further options, when it appears there is no way forward, that we must fall on our knees and turn to God. In the darkness, it is simply imperative to trust the presence and power of God’s Spirit, who has promised to make all things new.

Let us pray: In the darkest of nights, O God, it is often hard to trust. But trust and hope are all we have. Please, Lord, be at work even now in our confusion or despair. Work new life and strength in us. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Yesterday, my message was on peace, and the theme has stayed on my heart.

Some time ago, I was listening to a podcast interview with Katharine Hayhoe. She is an atmospheric scientist working with climate change, and an evangelical Christian. She bridges two worlds. In many ways, she’s a peacemaker.

She said that in her experience, talking to people across the country, the number one emotion today in public discourse is fear… And fear is a primary emotion, so often it is overlaid by anger or frustration… or judgment, or trying to control. But what is underneath that anger is so often a fear of loss.

She went on to share with her audience that her favorite verse in the Bible is in 2 Timothy, “For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of love and power…” And she said, “…when that fear comes against me, when that fear comes against us, I have a litmus test: that fear is not coming from God. And if it’s not coming from God, why do I want to entertain it? Why do I want to succumb to it? Why do I want to give in to it?”

God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of love…

The problem is, at least for me, I don’t always know that it is fear that is driving me. So maybe in those moments, when I find myself reacting or feeling angered or enraged, it is worth stepping back… catching my breath… maybe stepping aside from the whole situation. Maybe it is worth asking myself, where is this anger coming from? What is driving it? Is this fear? If it is not fear, what is it?

To take it a step further, even though I might be feeling this anger or this frustration, this outrage, am I able to live up to my higher calling? Am I able to refrain not only from violence of fist and tongue, but also of heart? If there is a real problem, are there constructive ways I can confront it—without aggression or violence?

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5)

May you and I, as followers of Christ, ever set aside our fear and heed his call.

Let us pray: Loving God, you have promised a coming kingdom where your peace abounds. We want to join you in bringing this kingdom. I pray today that you would bring healing, hope, and wholeness to each of our lives. Meet us in our need. And then, Lord, work in us and through us. We ask in Jesus’s name. Amen.