Each of us is waiting for the dove

Each of us is waiting for the dove (Noah and the ark cf. Genesis 8:1-9) the sign of the dove bringing the good news that the water has abated, that the flood is over and that new life can return.

We are people, most of the time of the flood; people drowning and floundering in the world, fighting hard to remain faithful, but often being absorbed by the wrong things.

Where in your life are you obsessing about the wrong things?

What does God want you to focus on?

Jesus comes into the midst of our flood, whatever it may be to reassure us with words of peace: Peace be with you.

The presence of God in our lives can lead us to fear, rather than to be full of joy. Why? Because we are secular people, concerned with the things of this world.

Fear and doubt mount an attack on our faith, our hope and our peace.

Where is comfort to be found? In the words of our Saviour:

'The Messiah had to suffer and to rise from the dead' (Luke 24: 46).

New life comes through death; new life cannot come without death.

And so in our own lives we experience the desire for new life in the midst of death –

Faith is motivated by desire and it is faith which leads us from desire to hope and finally to peace.

With Noah we keep looking, keep sending the dove out again, and it is because we desire things to be different that we have the energy and desire to send out the dove.

Keep sending out your dove; keep looking, because it is in the search that we receive the promises of God. It is because of our doubt and our fear that God comes alongside us and says, ‘yes’ it is true, see my wounds, see my side’ – I am fulfilling what I promised.

He will send to us, power from on high.

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