by Pastor Douglas Brauner
Yesterday, Today, and Forever
You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.
The day after Thanksgiving I used this same picture in a Praying With The Eyes devotion (A Path into the Future). I have revisited this picture through a devotional practice called Visio Divina, or Divine Seeing. In this devotional practice, I study the picture and connect it God’s Word.
In meditating on this picture, it spoke to me about how I view my past, live in my present, and think about the future.
Like the murky path in the foreground, when I reflect on my past, I must admit that I am not objective, that I see my past through my perception which makes the past different than it was. I tend to look at my past through my filters of how I want to see it or need to see it.
Like the sharpness on a portion of the bridge in the middle of the picture, there is a sharpness of perception about my present. I hear the furnace running, music playing next to me, and the faint sound of the television in another room. These are real perceptions and there is clarity to what I sense.
And like the out of focus bushes in the distance, so my future also appears shadowy. I have plans, but I do not know if I will realize those plans due to personal issues and world events. I don’t know if I will be healthy to do the things I want, or if changes in the world will prevent me.
Just as I have used this picture previously, so also this Scripture has appeared in other PWTE devotions.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Hebrews 13:8 English Standard Version
No matter how murky the past, Jesus’ love was there.
No matter how clear the present, Jesus’ love is here.
No matter how shadowy the future, Jesus’ love will be present.
The cross and the empty tomb are your guarantee that no matter your past, present, or future, Jesus has been, is, and will be present with you.
Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado
