God is at Work - Even in the Waiting

 

Well, it took almost six months, but it has happened. It didn’t look good for a long time, but slowly the tables turned.

In February, during the worst ever freeze in the known history of our area, many of our Oak trees suffered terribly. They were, by all appearances, dead. Every leaf turned brown and brittle. Spring came, and nothing changed. The lush green walkway through our campus had become stark and dystopian. Week after week we waited for the change. It did not come.

Then, one day, a green sprout here and there. Each walk revealed more signs of life, a leaf here and a leaf there. Then, as if in a day, the green was putting up a good fight. Slowly but surely new life pushed through. And now, in the triple digits of August, it is the dead branches that seem out of place. Now, it is the brown leaves that are beginning to disappear. It took a long, slow time getting here, but the Oaks are back.

We can often feel this way about our life. All is well, and then it is not. We suffer the pain and look to better days. We feel beaten down and long for a fresh start. We find ourselves face to face with our own guilt and hope for peace and forgiveness. But there is no instant change, no quick turnaround. There is only regret and fear that the brown leaves will be all there is for us from now on.

But God is at work. We cannot always see it or feel it, but God is at work. God isn’t bound by either our expectations or our vantage point in time. God never ceases to be present. God never ceases in redeeming all creation.

The early disciples expected Jesus to return in their lifetimes. As the years went by, they began to doubt. The wise teacher writes, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” The writer wanted the discouraged disciples to not lose sight of the fact that even in the waiting, God is at work. Perhaps we need this reminder in this day and in this time. God is present. God is at work. God is redeeming us all.

Peace.