Repeat them to yourself. Say them in the morning and in the dark. Repeat them over and over again in the quiet, still moments when you wake at night.
Teach them diligently to your children, when you sit in your house and when you walk, when you lie down and when you rise…bind them on your hand, write them on the walls of your house…
___________
The Lord our God is one. He is not far off, He is near.
He is aware, He is in control, He sees…and He weeps too.
He is the one who laid the earth’s foundations. He determined it’s measurements.
He set the cornerstone of the universe, and gave the clouds and ocean waves their boundaries.
He commands the morning and causes the dawn to know its place.
He created the heavens and stretched them out, He gives breath to the people and spirit to those who walk in it.
He has entered into the springs of the sea, and walked the recesses of the deep.
He is high and lifted up upon a throne, the train of His robe fills the temple.
The foundations of the thresholds shake at His voice.
Heaven is His throne, the earth His footstool and His majesty reaches to the ends of the earth.
He brings out the prisoners who sit in darkness and gives His glory to no other.
And He calls us…
“I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness…
Sing to the Lord a new song, praise from the end of the earth…shout from the top of the mountains…
I will lead the the blind in a way that they do no know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them…
Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Blessed are the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted and reviled.
You are the salt of the earth.
You are the light of the world.
Let your light and joy shine for all men…”
And remember.
Remember.
Remember the signs.
When the fog is thick, when smoke fills the air, when sorrows like sea billows roll…
When the pain takes our breath away, when the hurt chokes out the truth, when thick clouds loom overhead, when the skies grow black with despair…
When the sun darkens, when we begin to lose sight…when the whispers and lies come in close and threaten to drown out all truth…
When all we hear is the beckoning to quit, to doubt, to roll over, to throw in the towel…when we begin to lose hope and are tempted to give up…
He will comfort, He will satisfy. He will grant mercy, He will show Himself true. We are sons and daughters and we do not live as though we have no hope.
Remember.
Remember.
Remember the signs. And repeat them to those who need to hear them.
He is not far off, He is near. He sees…and He weeps too.
***
