“God, you are my God, from early morning I am with you; my heart thirsts for you, my body longs for you, as a land parched, dreary and waterless.”
I am bold to call you Father, yet I seem so far away from you. How can this be? I know you are with me but in the roar of the world I cannot hear you; in the depths of my being, I perceive a void. Where is this desert the psalmist speaks of? I must look into my own heart for I am responsible for that void. I know that in my self-absorption, in my turning away from you I become oblivious to your presence in my life. Yet, I thirst and your Spirit quenches my thirst. I hunger and your Son feeds me. I am restless and you give me the hope of your Eternal kingdom. I pray I become aware every moment in every way of your presence in my life.
“Thus, have I gazed on you in your sanctuary, seeing your power and glory.”
Lord, I see your glory in him just as Peter, James and John did on the mountain. At our gathering you give me your Son: Transfigured . . .  Crucified . . . Risen. At your table, here in a holy place Christ feeds me and nourishes your life in me, heals my wounded nature and frees me from death.
“Better your faithful love than life itself; my lips will praise you; thus, I will praise you all my life. In your name lift up my hands. A song of joy on my lips and praise in my mouth.”
At worship and in the world doing the work you give me to do, for all the blessings you gift me, Lord, I thank you. It is a good and joyful thing to love and worship and speak to you.
“Yahweh, you examine me and know me; you know when I sit and when I rise. You watch when I walk or lie down. You know every detail of my conduct.”
God knows and loves me, beckoning me into a relationship personal, intimate and faithful. How can I hear God’s voice and follow where God leads? Does God call ordinary people like me? And, to what and where does God call me?
“Where shall I go to escape your Spirit? Where shall I flee from your presence?
God calls out to me. Inviting me to share God’s life. How can I hear that call? What could hearing it mean as I live day to day?
“If I speed away on the wings of the dawn. If I dwell beyond the ocean, even there your hand will be guiding me, your right hand holding me fast.”
Lord, I pray I recognize The Risen Christ in me and in everyone I see. I ask for your enabling Grace that as I hear your call, I learn step by step to walk with Christ. And in answering your call I discover myself.

“I said to the angel who spoke with me, “What are these, my lord?” 5 Then the angel who spoke with me answered me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” 6 He said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts. 7 What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain, and he shall bring out the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’ 8 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. 10 For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel.” Zechariah 4:4-10

The prophets Zachariah and Haggai wanted the destroyed temple rebuilt. They hoped for renewed community with a vision of the Jewish people dating back to the days of King Solomon. However, rebuilding the temple was controversial. Many in Jerusalem were not Jewish. They were against rebuilding the temple which had no significance for them.

The trouble with religious convictions or beliefs is that we can rarely prove or disprove them. So, we start arguing with those whose conviction and beliefs differ from our own. History is filled with groups who believe they were exclusively endowed with divine truth so that they possess a unique mission and a unique authority within it.

Disagreement over religious and political issues is nothing new. It need not separate us from “One God, One faith” into bitter and hostile siblings. Today, we encounter committed Christians, who advocate different values and different understandings of the value of faith. We find disagreements and polarities, from those who advocate for secular values in a secular sphere, to those who want to see a more “Christian” nation.

God does have a vision for us. How do we live it out? We say we believe in God within us, the Holy Spirit of healing and forgiveness, of agape love.

The answer could be to switch from belief to practice; from believing things about Jesus to imitating Jesus.

“The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters.” 1 John 4:21