A Message from Pastor Andrea Chaumont

No body likes the wilderness. The wilderness seasons of life can seem like times when God is absent; waiting for things to happen, longing for a change, wishing we were somewhere else - anywhere else! 

But in the Bible wilderness seasons are often rich times of intimacy with God. Paradoxically, in those seasons that feel the most dry and desperate, God meets God’s people in new and unexpected ways, responding to their cries, remaining faithful to walk with them every step of the way.

The Israelites said to them (Moses and Aaron), “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”

This reminds me of research about retelling traumatic events. All the good parenting books today will tell you that when a child experiences a great fall, recounting the story to them is vitally important. “You were running, and you fell and cried, but then I came and scooped you up and comforted you.” 

This retelling helps our brains to integrate the adverse experience, helping us to move on with resilience. When we pray “give us today our daily bread” we retell the story of the God who scoops us up in Christ, who bends down to the ground and sits in the dirt with us, holding us while we cry.

Blessings,

Andrea

P.S. This Sunday we continue our sermon series on The Lord’s Prayer with “give us today our daily bread.” If you want to look ahead, read  Luke 11:1- 4 and Exodus 16.