When I am feeling particularly weak and vulnerable, I take time to renew my baptismal vows. I renounce the power of evil and turn to Jesus Christ as my Savior. When we feel the most alone, we need to make more of an effort to commit ourselves to God and cling to the rites and words and verses that remind us that we belong to God no matter what.
God hangs out right smack dab in the middle of the pain. We should look for God in the midst of chaos and worry. God hangs out in the tension and strife. We have to practice hope to find God. My experiences tell me that God heals us in many ways—and healing may not look anything like we expect it to. But there is healing and forgiveness, love and, yes, even joy and resurrection waiting for us. Salvation and resurrection come to us all. God manages to make all things new and turn around even the worst situation.
God’s love offers hope. God never promises that we won’t suffer. But God gets the last word, and it is resurrection.
Today we remember Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria (d. 444). This message was adapted from “Nothing Can Separate Us” by Daryce Hoff Nolan that first appeared in the April 2011 issue of Lutheran Woman Today (now Gather) magazine.