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Psalm 39; Ezekiel 17:1-10; Romans 2:12-16
A City Called Heaven
I am a poor pilgrim of sorrow,
I'm tossed in this wide world alone, No hope have I for tomorrow,
I've started to make heav'n my home.
Sometimes I am tossed and driven, Lord,
Sometimes I don't know where to roam,
I've heard of a city called heaven,
I've started to make it my home.
My mother has reached that pure glory,
My father's still walkin' in sin,
My brothers and sisters won't own me,
Because I am tryin' to get in.
Sometimes I am tossed and driven, Lord,
Sometimes I don't know where to roam,
I've heard of a city called heaven,
I've started to make it my home.
-Songs of Zion, 135
This spiritual reveals that sometimes what is happening on earth leads one to yearn for heaven. Earth is so tough that it isn't home; therefore, heaven becomes a home, a yearned-for home. It is true that some, or even many, feel & tossed in this wide world alone, no hope have [they]for tomorrow. This is a fact of life. Life can be full of lament, and as Christians we should be honest about this, especially during Lent! And the truth be told, the expression of lament is a doxological posture before God. You can lament before God, and God can handle it--our questions, our cries, our anger. The Spirituals are like the psalms in that way.
There is truth and honesty in this spiritual. Sometimes we do feel like
pilgrims of sorrow, tossed and driven, don't know where to roam.
Today, be honest with God about your journey. Express yourself fully
and totally and know that what we experience here does not exhaust
our experience with God. Our earthly cities may struggle but there is a
city where Jesus is the light. Trust that your eternal home is waiting for
you no matter what you may be going through. Tell God what's on your heart because God is your real home.
Prayer for the Day
I don't know where to roam. Take me home to your presence, for you
are my home.
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