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Excerpt from Introduction to Autumn 2015 VISION Newsletter
“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved!” Jeremiah 8:20
Such was the agonizing mourning of the prophet Jeremiah. Further he asked in verse 22 - Is there no balm in Gilead, Is there no physician there?
Such thoughts may also plague us at times…time passes, the good season is behind us, the road is difficult, losses occur, and the Lord has not yet come!
Dear ones, let us take heart! We are not lost; we remain resolute in our belief and knowledge of Jesus Christ. He also lived through such seasons in His life. Many did not understand His teachings and turned away from Him. He suffered rejection, persecution, betrayal, denial, and often, He was alone…
Yes, there is a balm in Gilead and there is a physician here. We know Him in every divine service experience in His holy word and in His earnings. It is the victorious and resurrected Lord! How wonderful are the healing effects of Christ’s absolution and the blessing in the benediction. Just as Christ was strengthened by His Father through intensive prayer, so also can we foster such a connection to receive strength and fresh impulses from His Spirit. The Holy Spirit who dwells in us “nudges” us and gives us new perspectives, if we give Him room and call upon Him. We enjoy intimate fellowship in the deep conversations we have in our midweek experience, giving new insights to Jesus Christ and also in “discovering” one another in a new light.
Yes, we live through difficult moments, but we find our joy in Christ, as the first apostles did, that we are counted worthy to suffer shame for His name [ from Acts 5:41]. The Lord’s promise of His return still shines brightly for us, and in the meantime, we continue preparing, constantly knowing and feeling His presence in so many ways. After all, as our Chief Apostle voiced, from Isaiah 44:21 - I have formed you…you will not be forgotten by Me!
With such a spirit, let us approach Thanksgiving once again this year with hearts brimming with adoration, praise, and thankfulness.
What abundance, to be a child of God!