The prophet Haggai testifies that God calls the Judeans who have returned from their exile in Babylon to “take courage . . . for I am with you . . . My spirit abides among you; do not fear.” Things looked pretty bleak for those Judeans. They had been back in Jerusalem for about twenty years, and they had not yet been able to get it together. They had not managed to restore the temple, God’s house. They needed the prophet’s encouragement to get inspired, and God provided “the word of the Lord”.

Picture, if you can, the Beloved calling you by name. Sit for a while—give it time to arise. See the Holy One reaching out to you, extending a wrapped package with your name on it. You accept the gift and begin to open it. You see the word “COURAGE” glowing in your hands. You hear God saying to you the very words he gave to Haggai for the dispirited Judeans: “take courage . . . for I am with you . . . My spirit abides among you; do not fear.” Let it soak into your heart. Feel it coursing through your body. Be thankful.

Know that is God’s word to you today, and to me, and to each and all of God’s children. We can carry it with us and bring it out whenever we feel discouraged or sorrowful, anxious or afraid, uncertain or overwhelmed. We can trust God’s presence abiding deep within to see us through whatever comes our way, transforming us day by day into the imago dei we were created to be.