The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “A staff.”
I have been listening to a lot of baseball this past week or so as the playoffs continue, with a game played nearly every day. Many people would find it dull and slow. Nothing ever happens. The games are too long. Nothing exciting ever happens.
It could be how you look at it.
Imagine a baseball game. Bottom of the seventh inning. One out. Runner on first. Score tied. The batter steps into the right-handed batter’s box, about a few inches closer than the last time, so that he can better adjust to the right-handed pitcher’s nasty curve ball, which struck him out the last time.
The pitcher notices this and shakes off the catcher’s first suggestion of a curve ball. The catcher then calls a fastball inside. Glancing in to see the catcher’s sign, the shortstop moves to his right, ready to cover the hole between short and third, ready to steal a hit, but also well aware that he will have to cover second on a ground ball to the right side.
As he moves, he throws up one finger, then three fingers behind his back to the left fielder, who begins to inch toward the left field line. The catcher finishes giving the sign, puts dirt on his right hand, and crouches, ready to throw out the runner if he goes. The pitcher glances at the runner over his shoulder once again, takes his fastball grip, and then fires. Outside. Ball one.
Somewhere nearby, your friend sighs. “Nothing ever happens in baseball.”
Really? It could be how you look at it.
Consider Moses, in the desert with a walking stick, the pregnant teenager, Mary, the first drops of rain before the flood, or David in the field with his sheep, long before Goliath. It didn’t seem like anything was ever going to happen. Or think about the 100 years before Abraham had his first child, the 500 years between the testaments, or the over 2000 waiting for the Lord to return. It can seem like nothing ever happens.
And yet, Moses’s stick was going to help save his people. David was getting practice using a slingshot. In Mary, there was a child slowly growing, and the first few raindrops were eventually followed by many, many, many more. God was at work in big ways and in small to bring about his will in the world.
What about you, beloved of the Lord? Does it sometimes seem to you like nothing ever happens? You pray for the sick, and they don’t get better. You pray for the poor, and they still can’t find work.
Some days, it feels easy to speak Christian truths without reflecting on their meaning. “God is good,” “I know God is in control,” “He works all things for our good,” and “He loves me and knows me better than anyone” – but some days, it just feels like we are stuck in a giant hamster wheel, and nothing ever changes.
God is undoubtedly a revealer of mysteries, a deliverer, a miracle worker, a great high priest, and a mighty God. He is, on the other hand, a God of subtle beauty, peaceful afternoons, small details, quiet moments, and small things. If you are careful, you can see God working in all things, not just the momentous ones. He has a history of using the small things to accomplish big things and to change lives. If it seems like nothing ever happens, it could just be how you look at it.
Please Pray: for the students in our afterschool tutoring program that they learn and grow as young people. We also pray that their families might learn to know God better.
Please Thank God: for Amanda Garces and her 5th grade students at Sunshine Elementary as we gather school supplies for their classroom.
Please Pray: for all of the staff at Sunshine Elementary as we serve breakfast for them on November 7.
Please Thank God: for Leah’s successful quinceañera.
Please Thank God: for Kathy, who received the organs she has been waiting for.
Please Thank God: That Keith and Kim have found new jobs.
Please Pray: for Mary, who has developed invasive melanoma. She is waiting for surgery.
Please Pray: for Melissa Davis and her two young children who were recently evicted from their apartment.
Please Pray: for Joey Diaz whose home caught fire recently. We thank God that no lives were lost.
Please Pray: for the lost who are near us
Please Pray: for Kathy Duitsman, who has breast cancer.
Please Pray: for those who serve in this place as they enthusiastically tackle diverse ministries such as the altar guild, food pantry, and serving our local school.
Please Pray: for Julie who is battling brain cancer and 4 additional tumors.
Please Pray: for Joy who is receiving chemo treatments
Please Pray: for William Izzo, that God would strengthen him.
Please Thank God: for the health of all the other congregations that worship in our facilities.
Please Pray: for Joe and his struggles with addiction
Please Pray: for those who struggle with housing needs.
Please pray: for all those who are out of work.