And the land that was desolate

     shall be tilled...

And they will say,

"This land that was desolate

has become

like the garden of Eden..."

            Ezekiel 36. 34-35

(God sees this place,

these difficult circumstances,

this hard time differently.

This is not

    the end of the story.

God redeems.

Our work is not to despair,

     but to restore.

Till the land

        beneath your feet.

No matter how barren

    it may appear,

    God brings new life to it.)

O LORD,

Even when things around us

are shrouded by bleakness,

You are already at work

          in us and through us.

It is not that You will show up.

It is that we are the ones

             late to the party.

Help us, O LORD,

not just to see differently

but to live in Your newness.

You are bringing something new

        to every desperation.

Help us to be faithful

       and grateful to You,

even before we see the outcome.

You are changing the landscape,

right before our eyes.