Kimberly Gonxhe ’07, Director of the Metro-Urban Institute, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

Scripture

Psalm 121

1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 The Lord will not let your foot slip—
    the One who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, the One who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord watches over you—
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—
    the Lord will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore.

Devotional

Tragedy. Trauma. Pain. There are so many moments in the vicissitudes of life when we ask, Where is God in this? Why do the righteous suffer? Why do devout Christians die in pain? Why did tragedy strike my family? Why was this disease allowed to attack my body?

This life is full of mountains and valleys, joys and pains, triumphs and disappointments, but the God we serve is bigger than them all. As we trust and surrender ourselves to the Lord, things work out for our good. God uses both the beautiful and horrific to shape us into people we would never have dared to become on our own. Somehow, through this pruning and growing we become agents of influence and change able to influence others around us positively. As we look back, we can truly see that the eyes of God were watching over us all throughout our journey and protecting us along the way.

Prayer

Lord, you are faithful. May we be still enough to see your hand in our lives. May we be always grateful for your unfailing love. May we trust you to do what you have said.

Kimberly Gonxhe ’07, Director of the Metro-Urban Institute, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

Scripture

Psalm 121

1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 The Lord will not let your foot slip—
    the One who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, the One who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord watches over you—
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—
    the Lord will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore.

Devotional

Tragedy. Trauma. Pain. There are so many moments in the vicissitudes of life when we ask, Where is God in this? Why do the righteous suffer? Why do devout Christians die in pain? Why did tragedy strike my family? Why was this disease allowed to attack my body?

This life is full of mountains and valleys, joys and pains, triumphs and disappointments, but the God we serve is bigger than them all. As we trust and surrender ourselves to the Lord, things work out for our good. God uses both the beautiful and horrific to shape us into people we would never have dared to become on our own. Somehow, through this pruning and growing we become agents of influence and change able to influence others around us positively. As we look back, we can truly see that the eyes of God were watching over us all throughout our journey and protecting us along the way.

Prayer

Lord, you are faithful. May we be still enough to see your hand in our lives. May we be always grateful for your unfailing love. May we trust you to do what you have said.