I Will Bear

Listen to me, O house of Jacob,
   all the remnant of the house of Israel,
who have been borne by me from your birth,
   carried from the womb;
even to your old age I am the One,
   even when you turn grey I will carry you.
I have made, and I will bear;
   I will carry and will save.  Isaiah 46:3-4

I rarely use the Hebrew Scriptures as my text but today, it seems most appropriate. Women and men around the country and around the world are marching, raising signs and voices to protect the rights of all people in this country and everywhere. I wish I could be with them. After a week of illness, I can do nothing more than pray and send love and support. I can also remind myself and all of us who truly is in charge. God is, and we who march, as well as we who stay home, can be confident in the One who carries us all.

In the midst of trying times, the words of the prophet come loud and clear, that darkness is as much about giving life, about protection from birth, as it is about ending life. God has promised the Ancients love and protection, and likewise, these words echo for us today. We are not alone as we sit and worry, as we march and sing, as we kneel and pray. We are surrounded by God's love, so intimate and universal, so within and without, that we do not need to ever imagine ourselves alone in the struggles. Whether personal or political, our struggles resound in the heart of God. God is ready to carry us and ready to save.

Today, I ask God to help me to pray for all those who find themselves on the edge, or the center, of darkness. May we trust that the Divine, who surrounds us with love throughout time and space, is very present with us as we  move through this day. May we feel the arms of love carrying us, the dawn of hope breaking forth within us, the seeds of new days on the horizon.