Saturday, 5 April

I will satisfy the weary, and all who are faint I will replenish.     

Jeremiah 31:25

And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen and establish you. 1 Peter 5:10

The Old Testament reading sits within a passage rich in thunderous declarations about the building up of God’s people and which also reminds of the promise of having being loved with an everlasting love.

There is comfort instead of sorrow. Mourning becoming gladness. Rebuilding and the levelling of paths. All by the One who also stirs up the sea, so that its waves roar.

And indeed, there is the promise to replenish those who are faint.

How might we make sense of the words of the ancient prophet as we journey through our lives?

Perhaps the scripture best serves us when we think of replenishment, renewal and restoration to us in a very personal and spiritual way. Moreover, how, where and with whom we might be open to God’s promise to do just that.

The theme is picked up by Peter, following on from the earlier verse about casting all our anxieties onto Christ. He speaks of having ‘suffered for a while’ and I suggest we stick with thinking of suffering in a spiritual way too.

Perhaps when our experience is that God is silent, or to use the imagery elsewhere in the Old Testament, the land is parched and there is no fruit on the vine.

But God in his graciousness will bring strength and restoration, just as He has promised.

Lord, may we trust you to renew our spiritual strength, to be built up, restored and replenished during this season of Lent.

John H

St Clement’s