Embodied Solidarity Fast

(Psalms 62:7-8 NIV) My salvation and my honor depend on God ; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Selah

The past few months haven’t been the easiest time for Wheaton College, or for the Christian community as a whole. I know many of us were discouraged by the the way Dr. Hawkins’s time at Wheaton ended and fear what her absence will mean for the future of the college. Going beyond this particular situation, we live in an age in which you turn on the news or scroll through Twitter or check your email and seem to see nothing  but reminders of what a broken world we live in. In the wake of an event such as this one, two of the main temptations are to slip into either bitterness or apathy. In the face of a seemingly endless stream of news about suffering and injustice, not to mention that which we personally experience, it’s easy to become numb to injustice or to lose any hope that things can change for the better.

But by our faith we know that there is hope, no matter how dark the situation seems. The Lord is good, the Lord is faithful, and He will not abandon us or the world in this time or any other. As you go through today, keep that in mind. The chorus of one of the songs we sing in Wheaton College Gospel Choir reads: “We worship You because of who You are, ” However bleak the situation seems, no matter how bad the state of our world gets, God is still God. That’s something we have to be joyful about.

Let us pray:
Heavenly Father, thank you for your enduring faithfulness. Thank you for your unconditional love for us in spite of all of our failings. In the face of challenges let us remember that You are our refuge and our salvation, and that You are with us wherever we go and whatever our circumstances. Amen.