Look Up

Thursday, March 8

Read: Genesis 15:5

I see Jesus working every day, although sometimes more clearly. On

one such occasion, I was in bed anxiously praying for a word of assurance

concerning my family. I distinctly heard a voice say

“get up, go outside in the

sun, and look up.”

Rather than think about what these words meant, I leapt

out of bed in hopeful expectancy, quickly dressed, and rushed outside. As

my eyes adjusted to the light, I was moved to look to my left. There I saw

a bell tower rising above the tree line, with four bells, framed vertically in

the tower’s structure. In them, I immediately recognized my wife, our two

sons, and myself, all held together through life’s various storms, by

Christ’s strong hands. To those passing by, my slack-jawed countenance

probably didn’t register. Yet I experienced God that morning in a profoundly

moving way. As Alfred Ackley wrote in the refrain of his famous

hymn (

“He Lives”), “You ask me how I know he lives? He lives within my heart.”

And ultimately, that is where I see Jesus at work the most...charming my

fears while sanctifying my heart.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, During this time of Lenten reflection, lift up our eyes to You, the

source of all light, and show us that You are indeed with us. Amen.

~The Rev. Charlie Stribula