By Grace Andrews of Blue Springs, Missouri USA
Therefore my people shall know my name; on that day they shall know that it is I who speak; it is I!
Nearly twelve years separated me and my oldest half-brother, so I was unaware of what had caused the rift between him and my father. When my brother returned home from serving two years in the US Army, he was 20 years old and planned to marry his long-time girlfriend. However, my father insisted he could not marry without his permission, and he would not grant that needed permission unless they married in a church. My brother told the minister to make it the shortest ceremony possible, and in 15 minutes, they were out the door and gone. That marked the last time my brother entered any church except as a guest performing in barbershop quartets.
Nevertheless, he and I had a loving relationship through the years, and as time went by, our children loved him. On one occasion, we accepted an invitation to visit him and his wife, and they surprised us with tickets to Disneyland for our large family. That morning my sister-in-law left for work, bidding us all goodbye. As her car disappeared down the driveway, we prepared to leave, but my brother seemed reluctant to let us go. Finally, he turned to us and asked quietly if we had a hymnal in the car. Of course we did! Retrieving it, we spent the next hour or so in their apartment, singing together many of his favorite hymns. I will never forget the joyful look on his face as he harmonized and recalled words and music of years long since past, but never forgotten.
The Spirit was always there nurturing and encouraging, and in that special moment we witnessed my brother responding to its call. Years later, he called us long distance and asked us to be ministers for his wife’s funeral to be held in the church. A few months later, his family asked us to come again in the same capacity for his funeral. With tears in our eyes, we sang the hymns he had not forgotten. How grateful I am for those cherished moments when we realized the promised Spirit never leaves us alone and is always with us waiting for us to respond.
Prayer Phrase
“…he has given us a new birth into a living hope” (1 Peter 1:3).
Spiritual Practice
Weaving a Life
Hold, or imagine yourself holding, a piece of patterned cloth. Examine it carefully. Notice overlapping threads mingling colors that form the design. Write a journal entry or meditate about the threads and patterns of your life. What design do you see? How does the life pattern you are weaving create justice and wholeness in God’s world? What new pattern is God calling you to weave in 2025?
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.