Over the years of muddling through life, I’ve learned that when we the faithful servants of God call on God to reveal the power of God’s promises in new ways, it is really up to us to look for those signs and wonders in new ways. But most of the time, we stumble around until we are hit over the head with them. I’ve also learned that the reward we need to seek for our faithfulness to God is not so much deliverance from our enemies, but deliverance from the way we make enemies of other people.

Despite our human errors, or rather, because of them, God rescues us from ourselves and rewards us with new signs and wonders of God’s leadership if we are open to them. God is so compassionate and kind, forgiving the sins of our loss of hope. It is this light of God’s mercy that we must accept and praise. Jesus teaches us that the best way we can live in the light and life of God’s kindness toward us is to not ask for recognition and glory for our faith, but to demonstrate it by assuming a humble position in our relationships with others, even those who are our enemies.

Most of the time, we are not very good at that. But to live in faith means to keep trying. And if we look for evidence that God is with us in this struggle, the Bible is full of stories of flawed human beings who let God lead them in the way of justice and hope. Over the years, I’ve learned that is still true, even for me. I pray today and always that all of us as God’s people will look for new signs and new wonders of God’s mercies and that will allow ourselves to be led to see them.