Daily Word of Grace # 186 (December 1, 2020)
Several years ago I was driving across the desert in southern Utah on the way to an epic afternoon at Zion National Park. As I traversed the breathtaking scenery I listened to one of my favorite Bruce Springsteen albums, Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978), especially “The Promised Land” which is set in the Utah desert. This song describes a storm in the desert: “Well there’s a dark cloud rising from the desert floor. I packed mgs and I’m heading straight into the storm. Gonna be a twister to blow everything down that ain’t got the faith to stand its ground. Blow away the dreams that tear you apart. Blow away the dreams that break your heart. Blow away the lies that leave you nothing but lost and brokenhearted.” As foreboding as that verse is, in the chorus the Boss repeats a phrase of hope: “I believe in a promised land…I believe in a promised land…I believe in a promised land.” The gospel is about God being with you in the desert storm, about God being with you when a twister blows everything down, about God being with you when you have been wounded by “lies that leave you nothing but lost and brokenhearted.” In the same way God eventually brought the Israelites into the promised land, God will do so for you…because God’s love always wins the day.
Love and Prayers,
Dave