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His Favor for a Lifetime
There's a violent storm in the hearts of men. Lightning. Thunder. Nature's unbridled rage. Where do you begin? In the shadow places, at the most desperate hours? Where the glorious are loath to tread?
Sometimes there are clouds of gloom,
But these are transient all;
If the shower will make the roses bloom,
O why lament its fall?
Charlotte Bronte, “Life”
And there is calm as well. A place... in the core of our being. Where virtue and compassion dwell. A place of quiet rest. Near to the heart of God. So people may yet turn to the sky and draw hope even in the darkest night.
Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
Psalm 30.4-5
Joy comes with the morning. And as the dawn breaks, there is found a song on our lips. It's a new song. Truly magnificent. One that is so much more beautiful than any song ever sung or heard.
His favor is for a lifetime.
A lifetime. Of memories. Of regret. Of love and happiness. Of sorrow and hurt. How many days could we count that are left to us? And would we even dare to count, knowing how finite they must be? I know there are far fewer than when it all began. None the wiser am I when facing my own mortality alone. But this I know...
His favor is for a lifetime.
For those whose walk is blameless, He is our sun and shield (Psalm 84.11). And this favor has been bestowed to us through the exact representation of God the Father. His love manifested through His Son. Bringing an oasis of gratitude and salvation against the desert of tragedies both old and new.
We are born to die. But also to live and learn and hurt and grow. And all through it, to love. To love our lives, our fellows, and when we are very brave... ourselves. But most of all, to love our God.
37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment.
Matthew 22.37-38
His favor is for a lifetime.
Hold onto that truth we must. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us (Psalm 90.17a). And eagerly await eternity with Him.
See the sunrise... and remember we are blessed.
