Do not fear, for I am with you… Isaiah 41:10a

God, can you just make me an ostrich so I can hide my head in the sand?

Over the past two years, isolation separating us from family and friends has been one remedy for an unyielding virus. Tragic war is raging in the Ukraine . There is political instability in many governments; global environmental crises are on the increase. I’m not sure how much more of this I can take.

But a look at Isaiah 41:10 reminds me that we are not the first people who have felt this way. Nor will we be the last. Here we read: “I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” God understands our fears, our hopelessness, our wanting to escape from all the misery and heartache. Yet in the face of that, we have the promise that God will strengthen and help us.

We are not called to be ostriches. We are called to be prophetic, active agents of hope in God’s world. When we want to bury our heads in the sand, God’s presence gives us courage to rise and meet the challenges of each day.

Prayer: Holy God, when we want to be ostriches, bless us with the courage to meet each day, knowing that you are with us. Help us to trust that you walk beside us in these difficult times. Amen.

Deaconess Judy Whaley, Sandspit-Haida Gwaii, British Columbia