February 17, 2021

Written by Emma Rooker

The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does. The Lord is near to all who call on him,  to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.

// Psalm 145:13-20

If you’re like me, there are some seasons when faith and following Jesus feel easy and weightless, when His voice rings out clearly in the direction I am hoping for, and the goodness of the Father feels incredibly abundant. At the same time, there are other seasons when life feels exactly opposite; days and weeks and months on end where I struggle to listen for His voice, forget to pick up my Bible, and have a difficult time trusting that He is listening. I can so quickly become doubtful that He hears me, and that He still has a plan despite everything that life can stir up. However, I’ve walked with God long enough to know that He is the exact opposite of being inconsistent and that His character never changes, though our circumstances and our hearts do. Nearly three hundred years ago, Robert Robinson penned the words of an ancient and beloved hymn, Come Thou Fount, and these words have always struck a chord within me:    

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love;

 Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for thy courts above.

Though life can create hardship and confusion, I have to believe that we do not follow a God of confusion. That no matter how far we feel we’ve wandered, the proximity of our hearts has nothing to do with His proximity to us. Because He has promised to be close, to be near to all who call on Him, and that He is faithful in all that He does. Without a doubt, I am confident that He is familiar with each of our ways, of the jobs we arrive at each day, of the people in our care, and understanding of the struggles we individually face. He is also largely aware, more than we know, of the beauty to be found within us and around us. 

This week, we’re praying that you sense the nearness of the Father, that the person of Jesus would be within your plain sight, and that the presence of the Holy Spirit would be incredibly close. Have a blessed week, EPAGA Family. 

Additionally, here’s a beautiful version of Come Thou Fount, may it bring you extra peace as you go about your week: