Human history reveals many periods where people lost a sense of God’s transcendence. It may even be argued that human beings have been wandering and lost more than they have been at home and focused. Human nature being what it is, we struggle with who God really is — the God of our salvation history or the “gods” of human constructs. Relying on our own designs and pursuits, we forget that we really are meant to listen to One upon whom the Spirit of the Lord rests, Jesus Christ, and not to ourselves. That same history that reveals our fickleness and infidelity also reveals God’s constancy and faithfulness. God always finds us.
As people wander and fumble to find their way, God is there bringing them back to holiness and giving them the assurance of His presence. We have to allow God’s Word, God’s life, to touch us and change us. It can make us more flexible and attentive to the sacred in all facets of life so that every day is one that is holy. Every day is a time when fulfillment is possible for one’s soul. Jesus stood before those gathered in the synagogue as the fulfillment of words of promise that were echoed long ago. God doesn’t forget. He always comes for us.
Now it is time to remember to go to God. Sometimes our lives are so confused and tangled that it is difficult to see the Word and hand of God. But when we realize, deep within, the depth of friendship God offers to us it really has the power to turn sadness to joy. The promise is fulfilled. Going frequently to God’s Word, allowing ourselves to be enriched and rejuvenated, and pondering the certainly of God’s fidelity and promise permanently transforms us. We will be more aware of the sacred and the holy and less invested in things that pull us away.