I am writing this one day after the largest gun massacre since Sandy Hook and just a few weeks since the attacks in Paris. Our country continues to be at war and continually battles the evil of terrorism. Trust and hope can be hard to come by in such times as these. It can be easy to be skeptical. Words like Isaiah’s, “the Lord is my strength and my shield,” can sound a bit hollow. The tragedies and anxieties of today can be so much in our face that we no longer remember God’s promised love in the past, nor trust God’s promised hope for the future. We aren’t alone either in our difficulty to remember God’s promises fulfilled or to trust in God’s promises yet to come.

A very long time ago Isaiah watched as his people became more and more estranged from God. They were so anxious and afraid that they could only see their current trials and needs. They forgot how many times God had fulfilled promises to love and care for them in the past. The failure of their memory caused their inability to trust in God’s promised deliverance and hope in the future. So they were skeptical, to say the least, when Isaiah said things like:

You will say on that day: "I thank you, LORD. Though you were angry with me, your anger turned away and you comforted me. God is indeed my salvation; I will trust and won't be afraid. The LORD, is my strength and my shield; he has become my salvation." (Isaiah 12:1-2, CEB)

They were skeptical. They distrusted God’s willingness and ability to truly be their strength and shield. Even so, the promises held out by God through Isaiah were nonetheless true. They just needed help in seeing the daily evidence of God in their midst so that they could regain their trust in God’s promises.

The same is true for us. Of course it is difficult to believe in God’s promises when faced with our crisis-ridden world today. Difficult but not impossible. We need to remind ourselves daily of evidence we see of God’s love just as Isaiah did for his people. Those reminders will help us to regain trust in God as we acknowledge God’s daily love and care in our lives.

Several weeks ago my life changed because of two little boys. My grandsons, Joshua and Julian, were born on November 12. Those little boys can’t say a word and sleep most of the time. They also are a reminder of God’s love. Through them God has subtly reminded me that, no matter how tragic the world becomes, God’s love will win, God’s love is the final word. I sat holding Julian as Sarah and I watched the news of the San Bernardino gun massacre. What a horrific scene kept flashing across the television screen! I hugged Julian closer and then looked into his sleeping eyes. I looked at the television and then at Josh and Julian and told Sarah, “These little guys are our evidence that God’s love wins, regardless of what happens in the world.”

Where do you see evidence of God’s love in hope in the midst of the dangers and anxieties of our world? Calling them to mind won’t make our world any less dangerous. It will restore our hope and trust in a God whose love wins against any opponent. It will enable us to thank God with Isaiah that the Lord is our strength and our shield, our salvation.