Can you imagine what it was like for the disciples and those who loved and knew Jesus personally or were healed by Him personally, to not know what was next or what they should do? He was gone and He had been so present with them. On this day so long ago there was silence.

Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me – a prayer to the God of my life. Psalm 42:7-8.

Jesus always directed them to the Father. Always. Deep calls to deep and in our deep need, God is always there, the God of our life. We are living in times that seem so incomprehensible and we experience doubt and fear. The disciples experienced that. We get to read about their experiences but they forged the living of those experiences.

Isn’t that how all of our lives are? In every generation we forge experiences that compel us to look beyond ourselves for answers. So it was, too, in 1 Samuel 7. For twenty years the Ark remained at the home of Abinadab. Then all the people of Israel turned back to the Lord. v. 2. We read about another miracle of God when the Philistines came to attack Israel while Samuel, now grown and a prophet of God, was offering the sacrifice of a lamb to the Lord. But that day the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites. v. 10.

Our daughter asked yesterday why there were no more miracles like we read about in the Old Testament. She would love to see such a mighty miracle. As we tried to explain, the Children of Israel experienced miracle after miracle and didn’t grow in faith in God. Jesus was asked many times to do miracles, even while he hung on the cross, and even though He had healed many; miracles are never enough if we don’t realize our miracle is God and His love for us.

Do we realize the miracle of our Creator God living among us then – and now living within us helping us? Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. Hebrews 2:14-18.

We can come out of doubt and despair with God helping us and He is ready. We will still forge experiences good and bad but we are not alone. He is here with us as He was with the disciples. To jump ahead in their experience…“Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” Luke 24:37-39.

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. Psalm 42:1-2. Our living God – Father, Son, Holy Spirit – is here with us and our soul pants for Him who is able to bring us out of doubt and despair and walk with us as we navigate through this life He has given us. He loves you. He will never leave you or forsake you. Let your heart touch Him and be loved.