SHADOWS

Wall Street is in an uproar. Hurricane Ike’s battering of the “oil coast” in the gulf has left refineries off-line and rigs toppled. Gasoline has jumped 70 cents in a week. Wind storms have leveled trees, downed power lines and hammered homes.

Clouds overshadow not just the storefront in which I write, but they seem to be overshadowing the community.

Tenneco lays off. Norwalk Furniture closed. Insurance is cancelled. Jobs are few. The shadows, the clouds, they seem to darken.

Jeremiah wrote in his days of darkness; in his time of lament. “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lam 3:22-23

Therefore today in my time of shadows, Jeremiah continues, “I also will say to myself, The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” Lam 3:24

In the wake of job loss, in the midst of job searches, “I will wait for him.” When the weight of the bills exceeds the limits of a checkbook, “I will wait for him.” When I fret over insurance and the loss of benefits, “I will wait for him.” In the days when the shadows hang heavy, “I will wait for him.”

If this week finds you in the shadows, say to yourself, The Lord is Good, I will wait for Him.