Psalm 126:1-3 “When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, ‘The LORD has done great things for them.’ The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.”
Just over two weeks ago, my son, Philip, and his family arrived from South Korea where they had been living for the past three years. It turned out to be the last military plane to leave. Soon after they departed, the Army closed all bases in South Korea. Had they waited even one day longer, they would now be stranded until at least mid-May, without cars or possessions (which are in transit over the ocean) and living out of suitcases. Megan would have delivered baby #2 in South Korea with all the attendant language problems and preeclampsia risks of the previous delivery – not to mention a hospital crowded with COVID-19 patients. They would have brought back their newborn baby girl to a cramped hotel room where they would be isolated from normal activities while trying to keep up with an active toddler. And Philip’s assignment in Fort Knox (just 2½ hours from our house) would have been called off and the whole process restarted with the end result possibly a base far away in Texas, the West Coast, or maybe even overseas. Truly a narrow escape!
So, yes, even in the middle of the coronavirus crisis, we are rejoicing. God allowed us to see just how amazingly he answered many, many prayers for our loved ones to return home.
Father, even now, just seventeen days after they arrived, it still feels like a dream. We are exceedingly grateful to you for making this happen. You have done great things for us, and we are filled with joy!
This week: During this period of hibernation and social isolation, families find themselves pressed more closely together. It can be a time of grim endurance and getting on one another’s nerves, or a time to reconcile and draw closer, to gather in the living room and pray as a group, to play games, tell stories, and laugh together. It can especially be a time to ask the Holy Spirit to fill your home and your lives with his love, joy, and peace. For more, please see this eleven-minute video from a widely-known American pastor who followed God’s calling to move his family to Hong Kong just three weeks ago: http://www.crazylove.org/sermons/403.
May God bless you and your loved ones in ways that surprise and delight this week, for his glory and your joy.