Having eyes for the good

She is like dry scrub in the wastelands: if good comes, she has no eyes for it, she settles in the parched places of the wilderness, a salt land, uninhabited.

Rather be like the one who has eyes for the good, true goodness at the heart of it all.

With the Lord for her hope ... She is like a tree by the waterside that thrusts its roots to the stream: when the heat comes it feels no alarm, its foliage stays green; it has no worries in a year of drought, and never ceases to bear fruit.
(Jeremiah 17: 5-9)

Oh that I could really trust in the goodness of God this day!
Don't let me settle in the dried out places, where nothing prevails.
Help me notice the spring dressing the trees anew, inviting us into the time that is now.

Because

Because
you never know
when it might be your time.
Seize it.

Never let go of the love.

In all the times

In all the times in between
then
and now
you have been waiting
and watching, believing
and trusting
in me, and us.

For good.

Gracious God,
Be with us as we step out in new ways.
Help us to listen for the sound of your voice in unexpected places.
Draw us closer to you and to all those in need of love and compassion.
Only you can bring true peace to our troubled world.

Be with us,
embolden us,
call us forth in truth.

Amen.