Bible in a Year: 2 Kings 1718; John 3:1936
I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it. Deuteronomy 34:4
Ah, every pier is a longing in stone! says a line in Fernando Pessoas Portuguese poem Ode Marítima. Pessoas pier represents the emotions we feel as a ship moves slowly away from us. The vessel departs but the pier remains, an enduring monument to hopes and dreams, partings and yearnings. We ache for whats lost, and for what we cant quite reach.
The Portuguese word translated longing (saudade) refers to a nostalgic yearning we feela deep ache that defies definition. The poet is describing the indescribable.
We might say that Mount Nebo was Mosess longing in stone. From Nebo he gazed into the promised landa land he would never reach. Gods words to MosesI have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it (Deuteronomy 34:4)might seem harsh. But if thats all we see, we miss the heart of whats happening. God is speaking immense comfort to Moses: This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, I will give it to your descendants (v. 4). Very soon, Moses would leave Nebo for a land far better than Canaan (v. 5).
Life often finds us standing on the pier. Loved ones depart; hopes fade; dreams die. Amid it all we sense echoes of Eden and hints of heaven. Our longings point us to God. He is the fulfillment we yearn for.
What are your unfulfilled longings? What places in life are you trying to satisfy with wrong things? How can you find true fulfillment in God alone?
The sweetest thing in all my life has been the longingto reach the Mountain, to find the place where all beauty came from. C. S. Lewis
Good evening, Mayor, and thank you for today’s sustenance for body and soul.
Fully rested and ready to take on the new week?