by Rev Douglas Brauner

Waiting for God.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.
Isaiah 64:4 English Standard Version

A blessing of living in Colorado Springs is the number of hiking trails that are within a few minutes of our homes. My sabbath is Friday, and I often hike one of these trails in the morning (with camera in hand, of course).

There are four go-to parks for me: Red Rocks Open Space, Garden of the Gods, Palmer Park, and Ute Valley Park. Each one of these parks has its own characteristics. I took this picture at Ute Valley Park which has an interesting mix of rocks, most of which are white, but also a few boulders that are red, yellow, or orange.

How’d this odd-looking rock get here?

I can’t answer that question, just as I can’t answer the question how “rocks” enter our lives.

Back problems are a boulder that I’ve dealt with for a few years now. How’d that boulder enter my life? I can tell you what’s causing the problem, arthritis and a bulging disk are the main culprits, but I can’t tell you the original cause of these problems.

Many of us are wrestling with similar problems in our lives. Whether the problems are physical, emotional, or spiritual, we wonder how these boulders have rolled into our lives.

Isaiah does not answer the question with “how,” but he tells us what God is doing no matter what the boulders are. He is acting on our behalf. He is acting on your behalf. You are his sheep. As your eyes turn to the One who gave everything for you, as you wait for him, he acts, he hears, and he sees.

Though I detest the back pain that I live with, I see God working in a way that I’m not sure I would have noticed otherwise. Ultimately we’re waiting for Jesus to return when sin, pain, and tears will be no more. As we wait, God works.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado