Haste that Day

As I sat in bed the other evening before turning off the light, I read Psalms 127 and 128. These particular verses caught my eye:

 

Psalm 127: “Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them . . . .”

 

Psalm 128: “How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways . . . Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house, your children like olive plants around your table. Behold, for thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.”

 

I put the Bible down and thought of Zechariah and Elizabeth. How many times did they read those two psalms and wonder to themselves, “What have I done wrong that we are not blessed with children?”

 

The writers of the television series, The Chosen, include a poignant scene in the first episode of season two. Jesus and His disciples are having a meal with a Samaritan family. The husband is crippled by a poorly healed broken leg.

 

His wife asks Jesus why, if He is truly the Messiah, why does He not keep such things from happening.  The writers have Jesus respond with words that help me make some sense of things in my own life.

 

The Lord tells her He has come to preach the good news of the kingdom, a kingdom not of this world, a place where sorrow and sighing will flee away. He tells her that He has come to make a way for people to access that kingdom.

 

And then He adds – “But in this life, bones will break. Hearts will break. But in the end, Light will overcome darkness.”

 

As I wrote this, I was in Florida to visit my mom’s grave. Nancy and I were here two years ago for her unveiling, but Nancy’s sudden stroke changed everyone’s plan. It is only now that I was able to return to the gravesite and get some closure.

 

Yes, in this life, bones will break. Hearts will break.

 

Zachariah and Elizabeth lived righteously before God. And yet, her barrenness was a source of brokenness in their lives. It is not difficult for me to imagine how, every time they read those psalms, their hearts cried out to God, “Why, Lord? What have we done?”

 

Christian, you too are living as righteously before God as you know how. And perhaps you also wonder what you have done wrong that your life is broken.

But Scripture tells us again and again, that even as we strive to do God‘s will, we can still expect in this life broken bones and broken hearts. But – and this is critical – we have Messiah’s promise that He will ultimately make everything right. We can trust him on that because He loves us. We can trust Him on that because He knows what it is like to be human and to suffer loss and pain and heartache.

 

Listen – and I tell this to myself again and again: In the end, Light will overcome darkness. And all will be made whole.

 

Oh, Lord, please haste that day.