“Abide With Me” (ELW 629, verse 3)
Devotion
I need thy presence ev'ry passing hour;
what but thy grace can foil the tempter's pow'r?
Who like thyself my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, oh, abide with me.
There are lots of versions of "If you don't like the weather in ____________ wait five minutes and it will change" (Supposedly, Mark Twain said a version of it about New England, as did Will Rogers about Oklahoma). It is a conversational staple here in Oregon. We know that weather can be a fickle thing. The one dependable thing about the weather is that it keeps shifting around.
Life is like weather. It changes on us. People come and go; jobs come and go; relationships come and go; health comes and goes. Every passing hour there is something new coming into our lives or passing out of our lives. With all of the changes, the tempter sees an opportunity to bend and twist God's promises, to play on our uncertainties and despair, and to try to get us to doubt God’s goodness and abiding presence. Yet Jesus' parting words to the disciples in Matthew are: "Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." God never leaves us nor forsakes us. God's love never falters. God's grace and mercies are new every morning.
Prayer
God, we can be such fair-weather followers. Nonetheless, you abide with us through all weather and all seasons. Thank you for your faithfulness to us. Amen.