“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though
our outward man is perishing, yet the inward
man is being renewed day by day.”

(2 Cor 4:16 NKJV)

 

Sunday Morning

The scene has become all too familiar. I drag my body out of my cosy bed, straight into the shock of a shower, then wear something special enough that I feel it is not any normal working day. Facing the tired facade of my computer screen, my mind screams at me to affirm: IT IS THE LORD’S DAY!

But somehow, my heart is far away, and within my spirit rings an echo of abandoned emptiness. Oh! How am I to join with brothers and sisters from my church or even around the world to worship the Lord, when singing together seems like a dreary dream? I could be joined by thousands online, and yet am so alone.

Ruined

Many things in my life before Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON) Orange were predictable, secure, full, certain, and assuring. But now nothing is firm; nothing gives me confidence anymore. I sometimes wonder if God is laughing at us, when so many of our self-aggrandizing edifices, our towers of Babel, have crumbled because of this meddlesome, malevolent virus.

The world’s well-oiled machinery has been brought to a deafening, screeching halt. I, then, am faced with two choices. I could allow despair to ruin me further, plaguing me with questions like “Am I finally done?” or “Have I totally given in?” But I have another option—as if there are truly other alternatives to consider—which is to stop, watch, and wait. On this path, I ask questions like “Is God on the move?” and “Shouldn’t I watch what he’s doing next, so as not to miss a beat?”

Renewed

It is tempting to allow the weight of misery and pain to push me away from the hand of God that has never stopped reaching out to me: “I’ve tried fixing my world—I really tried!” Meeting failure and panic, I try running away, only to run smack into a wall. Like so much shattered glass, my life is laid out in pieces and chaos before him.

Yet, his hand gently gathers up my broken shards. As the tender Potter, he reshapes and moulds me—renews me day by day. As my inner being delights in God’s law, I am strengthened with power through God’s Spirit—all this, because of his glorious riches toward me (Rom 7:22; Eph 3:16).

The Lord’s Day

These days, Sundays come and go without distress. I worship with my hands, feet, eyes, and heart. Worship goes beyond a mere gathering of people. The Lord’s day is every day. I wake myself from a peaceful slumber to welcome the morning with a shower of blessings and thanksgiving. My heart is finally home and my spirit … it rings a new melody.

For Reflection

Where do you see God amid the ruins and renewal of your own story?