October 6th Reflection by Bill Lynch

Isaiah 25:1-9
O Lord, you are my God;
   I will exalt you, I will praise your name;
for you have done wonderful things,
   plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
For you have made the city a heap,
   the fortified city a ruin;
the palace of aliens is a city no more,
   it will never be rebuilt.
Therefore strong peoples will glorify you;
   cities of ruthless nations will fear you.
For you have been a refuge to the poor,
   a refuge to the needy in their distress,
   a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat.
When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter rainstorm,
   the noise of aliens like heat in a dry place,
you subdued the heat with the shade of clouds;
   the song of the ruthless was stilled.

On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
   a feast of rich food, a feast of well-matured wines,
   of rich food filled with marrow, of well-matured wines strained clear.
And he will destroy on this mountain
   the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
   the sheet that is spread over all nations;
he will swallow up death for ever.
Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,
   and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,
   for the Lord has spoken.
It will be said on that day,
   Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.
   This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
   let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

Reflection
"Hang in there!" Sometimes when you hear this said as you are going through some life trial it seems so cheap. But this passage brings this expression to mind. Don't abandon your trust and faith and hope in God... "Hang in there!"

These are the times when you really notice God in your life. You at first believe that maybe God has left you all alone. But a simple prayer by yourself or even through someone else, reveals that God is with you even in the trials of life. You begin to realize the presence of Jesus and the suffering and pain he endured. You begin to think of all of the people that Jesus had compassion on and healed. You begin to think of what really matters in your relationship with God and with the situation you are in and the "big" things become the "big" things and the small things grow smaller and smaller. Yes, you realize that God is with you in this thing you are going through... and yes... you learn to "Hang in there!"

You see another day with God on your side. You see the protection and what God has provided in your life. You can look back and look forward to God's hand in your life all along the way giving you the strength to... "Hang in there!"

Finally you begin to rejoice in the Lord. Now you have hope...

"Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,
   and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,
   for the Lord has spoken.
It will be said on that day,
   Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.
   This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
   let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation."

"Hang in there!"

Music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHZCOuuUWDc

Prayer
Lord, when the going gets rough; slow me down, stop me when needed so that I can see you in the midst of it all and know the hope I have in you... no matter what... today... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen