Madeleine L'Engle writes, "All shall be well and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well. No matter what...That is what brings cosmos out of chaos." This I read on the heels of the Bible story from Daniel where Shadrach, Meshach and Abendago are thrown into the blazing furnace, which is so hot that the strongest soldiers who accompany them are killed. When the king, to whom they refused to bow down in worship, looks into the fire, the three men are unharmed, and a fourth, an angelic being, is with them. Chaos, blazing circumstances in which we are certain we, or those we love, will be consumed...yes, these situations are known to our human spirits. In the Daniel story it says that the king heated the fire 7 times more than usual. Well, fire is fire, and sometimes the gravity of a situation seems more or less intense than we understand...regardless, it is the life question, "How can this end well?" We must ask this in readiness to receive an answer that will strengthen and fuel, not one that will necessarily explain 'why', but perhaps only 'how'.
With this thought I sit in quiet contemplation, the answer is illustrated in clear view. It hems me in. Zion and Emmaus are awake, but not quite ready to tackle the day before them, so they sit on either side of me. They chat away, watching me write, peaceful in my presence, fueling and awakening in this restful state of companionship. I am their steady, when they can see me, and feel me close, they are ready for whatever adventure awaits them, even as they grow into young men. They trust me. As they discuss gaming warfare and sports strategies to defend their teams, they are in alignment with this morning theme! Psalm 91 is packed with inspiration and encouragement, but in this simple sentence from 15 we can breathe in God's peace, no matter what, as he says of us, "He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble..."
He is with us in the quiet and in the blaze!
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