2020 Vision

It has been awhile since I had 20/20 vision. My eyes are not perfect, but with a tool, with a little help, I can see well. A doctor has studied my eyes and has made a determination about what is needed for me to have better vision. My eye doctor then made a prescription and I followed that and purchased eyeglasses that I wear daily to see better. Without this tool, without a little help, I would not be able to drive or even read.

In my faith life it has been awhile since I have had "complete" faith. That 20/20 trust that God is fully present in this world. It is hard to believe this when we are surrounded by so much that is wrong. Kids locked in cages, drug companies addicting people to opiates, war, cancer, UGH! How can God be present in this?

When the Israelites returned from exile to Jerusalem they wondered the same thing. Where is God in all of this now that the temple is gone? According to Ezra they gathered in the rubble and they shared their confused faith there. Some shouted with joy that a new Temple was to be built, but others wailed in sorrow for what had been lost. These two sounds, joy and grief, commingled into one voice that was indistinguishable.

But there was one song they sang together, Psalm 117:  God is good! God's love is forever!

It is this song that I am going to carry into this New Year of 2020. It is going to be the prescription that I wear to strengthen my faith, to remind me that indeed God is present in this here and now. No matter the news, no matter the situation I am going to whisper this word:

God is good, all the time!