"It is when things go wrong, when the good things do not happen, when our prayers seem to have been lost, that God is most present. We do not need the sheltering winds when things go smoothly. We are closest to God in the darkness, stumbling along blindly."
                                                            Madeline L’Engle

I was thumbing through some books yesterday preparing for a worship service for our United Methodist Women’s gathering on Saturday. This quote from Madeline L’Engle jumped out at me. It had nothing to do with the theme of the worship I was preparing. It simply spoke to me.

I suppose the words became important because I seem to know several people who are going through really difficult life situations right now. Terrible illness, job struggles, accidents that maim and change lives forever, children in dangerous and precarious life circumstances, the list goes on in somewhat "Job-like" fashion. I have found myself at a loss for words, instead simply listening to the compounded darkness of it all. Of course, I pray. But even that sometimes seems futile…or at least lost in the swirling storm.

So L’Engle’s words came as a reminder…….God’s presence is resting with us even in the deep pain and confusion of those times when life seems to be spinning out of control. I was reminded of how often I am quick to be filled with awe and wonder of that Presence in the beauty of Creation, the wonder of new life. Yet when things are the most difficult, I will try to rely on my own resources and tend to forget the One who breathed the fullness of all Life into being.

And so today, for all those who are walking the halls waiting for a sliver of good news….for all those who feel alone and without hope….for all those who feel unappreciated and undervalued in their work…..for all those who believe they have been abandoned….I offer a prayer.

May the One who has walked with you from your first breath hold you and those you love in a tender and loving embrace. You are not alone……..