“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” -Isaiah 26: 3
The twilight weather was gray, gloomy, and damp- not ideal for a competitive practice game preceding the start of my first Little League season. Wearing number 13 on the back of my white and green Pirates uniform, I entered the game in right field. Soon a runner had reached third base. Anticipating that a fly ball might be hit my way, I got in fielding position. Crack! The baseball was in the air, headed straight toward me. I patiently tracked the ball until it settled in my glove. With the out secured, I rifled the ball to the catcher on one hop. The runner held at third.
Life is hard. While there’s general intellectual agreement with that statement, it is a “whole ‘nother ball game” when unwanted, unwelcome adversity gets all too personal. In our time of trial, our pain is invisible to those who feel uneasiness and discomfort in our presence. Acknowledging our pain means that they must also acknowledge their vulnerability to adversity’s intrusiveness. On the other hand, our frenzied attempts to bear the entire weight of our burdens offers no relief or any semblance of perfect peace.
We perceive that our painful circumstances are under our control, that we’ve positioned ourselves to make the catch, securing a temporal answer to our problems. In reality, the ball of our burdens is playing us, effectively neutralizing God’s presence and participation in our desert, land between time. As we stay close by Jesus’ side and keep our eyes on Him, we renew our steadfast trust in His provision and perfect peace. Pastor Jeff Manion offers these words of understanding and encouragement:
“In our Land Between, we often feel left to fend for ourselves. We feel wretched, beat-up, desolate, and impoverished. But God sees and hears. And he provides (emphasis mine).”
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” -Psalm 91: 1
