“And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” (Matthew 12:32 ESV)

As I made a cup of tea to start the process of waking up, this song jumped into my brain:

Nothing’s too incy-wincy for His care
Nothing’s too big, big, big for His power
Nothing’s too teeny-weeny for His care.
– Doug Horley

I wrote recently about a crisis of faith that I had, which took me by surprise. It called into question the validity of what, pre-COVID-19, I had taken for granted: God’s influence.

I had become lost in the thought of the enormity of the universe in which we live, without a designer God. With all this death and suffering, did I really need God to be there for what could be just an act of serendipity, a theory of a “big bang”? It was a fleeting thought for only a second, but the damage was done.

Like tumbleweed blowing across the desert of my heart, all spiritual life suddenly left town.

Okay, I had no one else to blame except myself. I had been so casual with God, because of my calling. I had forgotten to praise God for Himself, for myself, and for His love for me, and also to remember the things past that I have experienced at the hand of God.

I had forgotten resting, being like a sleepy child on a mother’s knee, seeking the reassurance, the comfort, and the love of my Saviour.

For Easter communion this year, our congregation met outside, and I faintly had an inkling that God was speaking. In essence, the message was that He always shows up at the right time, and that we need to keep the faith in the interim quietness, and not to question His seasons of apparent inaction.

Today, as the song above played in my head, I remembered how God had reached into my life in a moment, a long time previously. It had been amazing to be changed so radically, so fundamentally and undeniably. It was liberating.

Reminded of that time, I was overwhelmed by joy. I sang the song above and remembered how God had lifted me out of the pit, even though it was decades ago. “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound … “

I am the same now, but different, restored, and ready.

Let none of us deny what God can do today by speaking a creative, liberating word into our lives.

Prayer: Lord, we rejoice that You have set us free. You have brought deliverance, reconciliation, and salvation through what You did on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Be with us today. Restore, refresh, and renew a good heart in us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Rod Marshall
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England

Reprinted with author’s permission from PresbyCan