Day 57: May God Lead Us Through These Times

DAY 57

Faith in the Midst of a Pandemic

A series of daily reflections for people of faith

by Rev. Robert Bayley, Interim Pastor

Patuxent Presbyterian Church, California, Maryland

WEEK NINE: SUNDAY 10 MAY 2020

May God Lead Us Through These Times

“May God in his mercy lead us through these times;

but above all, may he lead us to himself.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer 1906-1945 –

“Letters and Papers from Prison”

“This is the end. For me it is the beginning.” So said Dietrich Bonhoeffer as he was led naked into the prison courtyard where he ascended a scaffold, a noose was put around his neck and the floor beneath gave way, sending him into the presence of the Lord whom he loved and served. Convicted of being part of a plot to assassinate Hitler, a sober conclusion he came to believe was his Christian duty to end the slaughter of the death camps, Bonhoeffer was an astute theologian, a faithful pastor, and a winsome thought-provoking communicator. Even in prison he wrote, and his letters and papers have been translated and compiled into a book. 

Bonhoeffer’s seminal work, which should be read by everyone who is serious about wanting to follow Jesus, is “The Cost of Discipleship," which walks the reader through the Sermon on the Mount. As “… God in his mercy leads us through these times … to himself, …” here are some insights from that book by Pastor Bonhoeffer that, upon reflection, can help us on this journey.

+ “Only he who believes is obedient, and only he who is obedient believes.”

+ “Cheap grace is the mortal enemy of the church. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and

      it is grace because it gives a man the only true life.”

+ “Discipleship can tolerate no conditions which might come between Jesus and our obedience

     to him.”

+ “The Church is the Church only when it exists for others … helping and serving. It must tell

      people of every calling what it means to live for Christ, to exist for others.”

+ “We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or omit to do, and more in

      the light of what they suffer.”

Reflective question: In what ways is God using the present crisis to lead you to Himself?

Reflective Scripture: Psalm 139:24 “Lead me in the everlasting way.”

Reflective hymn:

“By Gracious Powers” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906 -1945)

By gracious powers so wonderfully sheltered,

and confidently waiting, come what may,

we know that God is with us night and morning

and never fails to greet us each new day.