“When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.” Titus 3:4-5
Lord Jesus, not just on the night of your birth, or the morning you walked out of the tomb, or the moment we were born from above… but every day in every place in a multitude of ways, you continue to appear. You show up in mercy, with fresh grace in the shape of our needs. We’ll never exhaust your kindness and love.
Whether it’s “out of the blue,” or from within dark clouds. Sometimes with a whisper, bang, or song… but you never leave us or forsake us. You meet us through our friends, always by your Word, and often by some unexpected providence. Quite often, you “show up” when we look up, and realize you didn’t go anywhere.
Though we’d like to dictate when and how you appear, looking back (perhaps only from heaven), we will never conclude you were late, uncaring, or got it wrong. Like Martha, in our grief and shortsightedness, we also say, “Lord, if you had been here…” (John11:21); but, though we have plenty of mystery-laced days, we will never have a Christ-absent one. Thank you.
As war, our worries, and “what if’s?” continue, we will say to our hearts, “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him” (Ps.62:1). Our hope isn’t in chariots or horses, but in your empty tomb and occupied throne. We SO look forward to the Day you will appear from heaven to finish making all things new. But until then, you are above us, with us, in us, and for us. And that is enough. Hallelujah, and So Very Amen.