Reflection: Ecclesiastes is not a happy
book. It's about the writer's search for meaning in a world that
seems empty to him. We all struggle daily, but sometimes you may go
through longer periods of darkness. Do you ever feel guilty for your
despair or darkness, or frustrated at yourself for being stuck in it?
Be graceful to yourself. These dark periods in life are not failures,
but times to be reflective and to grow through grief, hardship, or
fear. Whether or not such dark periods are productive depends on how
you define what comes next. Do you see these times as the end, or a
place to begin?
Take time to reflect, meditate, or
pray in silence.
Prayer: Heavenly Lord, you are walking
with me when I am scared, depressed, grieving, or anxious. Help me to
understand what you can bring from this time of darkness, because I
know it's only through death that you can bring about resurrection.
Please reveal a glimpse of the future that is made possible in you
and help me carry on. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Tuesday, March 5th
Reading: Ecclesiastes 1:8-11
Reflection: Sometimes a truth is
revealed by making us question an opposing statement. The author of
Ecclesiastes writes that all things are meaningless, that there is
nothing new under the sun and that nothing matters because all is
forgotten. When we are scared and alone, it often feels like the
world is full of absolutes. But are these absolutes true? Is there no
meaning, or have you found or felt meaning in ordinary things? Do you
think there is truly nothing new for you? Is not God a God who
created all things from no-thing?
Take time to reflect, meditate, or
pray in silence.
Prayer: God of creation and newness,
show me how you are creating meaning in the presence of senselessness
in my life. Show me how you are doing a new thing when everything
seems old, tired, and dead. Help me to see glimmers of what is
possible by showing me what I think is impossible. In Jesus' name.
Amen.
Wednesday, March 6th
Reflection: Lament is a type of poetry
common to the ancient world in which people cry out in their anguish.
This particular lament was written while the people of Israel were in
captivity, enslaved and taken from their homes. These painful cries
are usually directed at God; it is an appeal to help. Pain and
suffering are a part of life, but the thing about lament is that even
in the deepest misery, the writer is still in conversation with God.
What is your heart's lament? Is it sadness? Is it grief? Is it rage?
God wants to have that conversation with you. Can you have a
relationship without communication? Even an expression of sorrow can
mean growth in your walk with God.
Take time to reflect, meditate, or
pray in silence.
Prayer: [Take this time to pray your
own laments. Hold nothing back.] Dear Lord, I know you hear me when
my loudest thoughts turn into nothing but a quiet whimper. Be my
strength when I'm weak, forgive me when I'm wrong, and show me the
future you are creating for me. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Thursday, March 7th
Reading: Lamentations 3:16-24
Reflection: When you think of the word
faithfulness, what do you think of? We say, “So and so is a
faithful follower.” “She is such a faithful person.” “He was
always faithful to her.” It's a state of being that implies
loyalty, determination, and keeping of trust. The sad thing is that
as a species, humans are not very faithful. Marital infidelity is
high, people cheat on their taxes, and sometimes we even cheat
ourselves out of opportunities because of fear and doubt. We fail,
and sometimes face the consequences of our faithlessness. The writer
of this lament understands his own faithlessness all too well. How
have you been unfaithful to God, to others, or to yourself? We are
not a people of integrity, but we worship a God who is. Our salvation
is made up entirely of God's action in the face of our inadequacy, so
you can have hope that even in the midst of your biggest failures,
disasters, and sorrows, God is faithful to you. What does that say
about what will happen after even the darkest night?
Take time to reflect, meditate, or
pray in silence.
Prayer: God, thank you for faithfulness
despite my imperfection and infidelity. Please teach me how to love
you the best way I can so that I can learn to love others that way
too. Show me that even when I wander away and mess everything up, you
are faithful and you will help me make it all right again. Help me
hope and trust in your faithfulness when I'm struggling the most. In
Jesus' name. Amen.
Friday, March 8th
Reading: Psalm 90:1-6
Reflection: Think about your home. Is
it cozy or spacious? Is it messy or clean? However it functions, you
are comfortable there. Your dwelling place is a retreat from all the
noise of the outside world, from neighbors and events, from cold
temperatures and wind, and the hot sun in the summer. It shelters
you, and protects you. What does it mean that God is your dwelling
place? Imagine how vast God is, who created the world, who sees your
life like the blink of an eye, and yet who cared enough about you to
send Jesus. Despite the grandeur, that is the kind of God that you,
personally, can dwell in.
Take time to reflect, meditate, or
pray in silence.
Prayer: Lord, be my dwelling place.
When the world seems out of control, remind me how big you are.
Remind me how you created the world, and how your Son spoke and
calmed a storm, and raised the dead. Let me rest in you when I feel
small and insignificant, and show me how important I am to you. In
Jesus' name. Amen.
Saturday, March 9th
Reading: Psalm 90:1-6
Reflection: You are like a Morning
Glory, waking up bright and alive with color and dew in the morning,
only to wither and fade in the afternoon sun. The daily life of a
Morning Glory is short. You shine and shimmer with life and vitality
for only a short while, and then the ravages of time take their toll.
Eventually, all things wither. But with God, the end of the day is
not the end of all things. God has been present from the beginning
and will always be present. Like the morning glory that rests during
the day and night and opens anew in the morning, so you are renewed
every day. What old hurts have healed? What new opportunities and
growth have come through loss or endings? The future we are too
limited to imagine is not only possible, but inevitable with God. God
makes all things new.
Take time to reflect, meditate, or
pray in silence.
Prayer: Everlasting God, you make all
things new every morning. Give me eyes to see your continuing work in
the world, and to understand that your time is different from mine.
Help me to trust in what you are doing, and trust that even in
wilting and death a new thing arises. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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