By Mary Wood
“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season” (Psalm 1:2-3, NKJV).
Sometimes the circumstances of life are like a whirlwind that we can’t control; they seem to make about as much sense as a tornado’s aftermath. It is in those times that we find out where exactly we have rooted our faith.
I recently found myself in such a place. It all started less than three weeks after I retired. Both my husband and I contracted COVID-19. For five weeks we battled the virus and pneumonia. I recovered, but was left by his bedside watching as his life ebbed away. During those critical moments and every moment since, I have felt surrounded by the fact that “all is well.” I have no explanation for this experience from my natural storehouse of what makes sense. I know for certain only that God’s word is true, and He is always in every way working on my behalf.
As the days have turned into weeks and then months the assurance that “all is well” has been my dwelling place. This was even confirmed by a close friend who texted me one morning to let me know that when she was praying for me the song “It is Well” came to her mind.
She said, “I don’t know if you are to be singing this song or if you are just to “be there.” I told her I had “been there,” in that posture of assurance, since the day of my husband’s passing.
Recently I got out a journal I had written more than ten years ago. As I meditated on the entries, I found that there has been a steadfastness of faith in God and His faithfulness to me that has not moved. The things that were true about God back then have not changed. The almost startling aspect of these findings was that my roots are so deep in this season that the storms of life will not uproot me.
My job is not to complain about this season but to listen for the chords of the new song for this time and be willing to “dance” to that rhythm.
Psalm 1 promises that the person who doesn’t listen to the counsel of the ungodly, who doesn’t agree with or walk in the path that the world takes, but rather delights in living wholeheartedly for God will be blessed (happy, steadfast, and immoveable). It also states that our lives will bear fruit in season and will not shrink at adversity but prosper in the process.
I have stopped saying that I just want things to be normal. There is no such thing as “normal.” We’ve all been given different gifts, talents, and abilities, and they are all different for a reason. God’s creative design from the very beginning has had rhythm. He set in motion day and night, seedtime and harvest. He has set in motion a rhythm for each of our lives and gives us a new song for each season we walk through. My job is not to complain about this season but to listen for the chords of the new song for this time and be willing to “dance” to that rhythm.
As I have picked up the pieces of life more than once, I have seen that as with a puzzle, the pieces do come together to create a beautiful picture. The process is often slower than I like, but a steady faith and waiting on God for the next clear piece of the puzzle remind me of the joy when a connector piece is found that makes the puzzle picture a little clearer.
Though this place and this season is not of my choosing, I choose to remain in the place of “all is well” for as long as He chooses. In this place I’m surrounded by a peace that passes all understanding and wrapped in a love that I can’t even describe. I will continue to meditate on God’s word and delight in it. I will be still and know that He is God and that in quietness and confidence, strength and direction will come just as surely as the next season comes.
About the Author
Mary Wood recently retired after 51 years working as a hairdresser. She is the associate pastor at Ithaca Open Bible Church in Ithaca, Ohio, and serves as a facilitator for INSTE Global Bible College.
