14th. April 2020. Daily Devotion.

There is a strange story about the prophet Ezekiel which follows from chapter 3:22ff

The hand of the LORD was on me there, and he said to me, ‘Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you.’ So, I got up and went out to the plain. And the glory of the LORD was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the River Kebar, and I fell face down.
Then the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet. He spoke to me and said: ‘Go, shut yourself inside your house. And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes; you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people. I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious people. But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, “This is what the Sovereign LORD says.” Whoever will listen let them listen, and whoever will refuse let them refuse; for they are a rebellious people.

The hymn writer Frances Ridley Havergal (I am trusting thee, Lord Jesus) wrote:

Have you ever heard of anyone being greatly used by Christ who did not experience a special time of waiting, or a complete upset of his plans at first? From the apostle Paul’s being sent into the Arabian wilderness for three years—during which time he must have been overflowing with the Good News—down to the present day, it seems those who will be used will have a time of waiting. Have you been looking forward to telling about trusting Jesus, but instead He is asking you to show what trust is, by waiting? She then spoke of how her health prevented her from writing for many years until the time was right before she gained recognition of her contribution to the musical life of the church.

Since we believe that our lives are in God’s hands, this season may be seen as a time to take stock and wait. In the Church we have been at a crossroads awaiting guidance on how to proceed, but for now all action is suspended. Life is at a pause, we are having an enforced rest from our normal way of life and finding new ways to be, to work and to relate.

How things will shake out in the end we do not know, but if we use this time to take stock of our lives and our priorities, deepen and develop our faith, when the waiting is over we may find ourselves on the cusp of a new and rewarding period in our lives. What lessons will we have learned, what changes will we have made?

Ezekiel, like Paul and Havergal went on to achieve significant blessings for many after their periods of enforced rest. Whether in our private or our church lives may this prove to be a fruitful pause for each of us.

We continue to pray for those for whom this is or may become a grievous experience of suffering, pain and loss. Ask for courage, faith, wisdom and strength for all who are in the darkest places during the epidemic, and that in God’s time and way the plague may be overcome.

Prayers in the time of coronavirus:

May we who are merely inconvenienced remember those whose lives are at stake.

May we who have no risk factors remember those most vulnerable.

May we who have the luxury of working from home remember those who must choose between preserving their health and making their rent.

May we who have the flexibility to care for our children when their schools close remember those who have no options.

May we who have to cancel our trips remember those who have no safe place to go.

May we who are losing our margin money in the tumult of the economic market remember those who have no margin at all.

May we who settle in for a quarantine at home remember those who have no home.

As fear grips our country, let us choose love.

And during this time when we may not be able to physically wrap our arms around each other, let us yet find ways to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbors. Amen. Fr. Michael Graham, S.J.

We’ll Get Through This
I’m a garbageman, I can’t work from home and my job is an essential city service that must get done. It’s a tough job, from getting up pre-dawn to the physical toll it takes on my body, to the monotonous nature of the job, at times it’s hard to keep on going.

Us garbagemen are gonna keep collecting the garbage, doctors and nurses are gonna keep doctoring and nurse-ering (sic). It’s gonna be ok, we’re gonna make it be ok. I love my city. I love my country. I love my planet Earth. Be good to each other and we’ll get through this.

Right now though, right now I am feeling an extra sense of pride and purpose as I do my work. I see the people, my people, of my city, peeking out their windows at me. They’re scared, we’re scared. Scared but resilient. – Found on Twitter: Jester D TGM @JustMeTurtle

Prayer
Father, give us patience in this time, submitting with grace and faith to the limitations which have come about in our lives. Fill our minds with compassion and love and a will to examine who we are, how we have been living and how we may change, the better to reflect the love of the risen Lord in our lives. Amen.
Psalm fragment:

Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
Psalm 80:19.