This season, we’re blessed with a set of Lenten devotionals by contributing author Lee Hinkle. Find out more about Lee at the bottom of this article, or at hinkledownunder.com.
Reading and Meditation
This is being written at the end of the day here in Fremantle. So it is a going-to-bed meditation for those on this side of the world, and it is arriving just as morning is beginning where I came from.*
Today was a busy day in the Hinkle house; after several months our shipping container arrived. Our stuff has been unloaded and we have begun the process of unpacking boxes and placing furniture. We are cleaning dishes and figuring out where each art piece will go. As I looked at each piece, they represent the people who we love; each piece captures in time a part of their story and ours. Many of the artists have transitioned in their practice. Some of their paintings look nothing like the way they paint today. But we know the stories. We know what is behind each piece. We have that moment forever.
It has been a day of remembering. It has been a day of tears and celebrating. Psalm 77 talks about remembering: Remembering that God is true even when times are filled with trouble; He is faithful and has redeemed us. It might be bleak but He is faithful. Remember!
Psalm 77 (ESV)
To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.
I cry aloud to God,
aloud to God, and he will hear me.
In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
my soul refuses to be comforted.
When I remember God, I moan;
when I meditate, my spirit faints.Selah
You hold my eyelids open;
I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
I consider the days of old,
the years long ago.
I said, "Let me remember my song in the night;
let me meditate in my heart."
Then my spirit made a diligent search:
"Will the Lord spurn forever,
and never again be favorable?
Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
Are his promises at an end for all time?
Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has he in anger shut up his compassion?"Selah
Then I said, "I will appeal to this,
to the years of the right hand of the Most High."I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
I will ponder all your work,
and meditate on your mighty deeds.
Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is great like our God?
You are the God who works wonders;
you have made known your might among the peoples.
You with your arm redeemed your people,
the children of Jacob and Joseph.Selah
When the waters saw you, O God,
when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
indeed, the deep trembled.
The clouds poured out water;
the skies gave forth thunder;
your arrows flashed on every side.
The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
your lightnings lighted up the world;
the earth trembled and shook.
Your way was through the sea,
your path through the great waters;
yet your footprints were unseen.
You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Prayer
Father, help me to remember your mighty works. Your steadfast love is truth and you do not forget it. You walk with us through the water. You deliver us.
Jesus, you are our deliverer. We praise you. Teach us to remember.
Spirit, call to mind the mighty works and everlasting mercy; let us hear you singing over us. Amen.
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* Editor’s Note: Redeeming Culture publishes Lee’s devotionals in the evening of the day they are received for continuity purposes.
Lee Hinkle is an American pastor who, with his family of 7, felt God’s call to pack up and plant a church in Fremantle, a town in Perth, Western Australia. Last Summer, the Hinkles left Indianapolis and arrived in Oz to begin their work. You can follow their adventures at hinkledownunder.com.
