Excerpt from Isaiah 25:1-5

"O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you, I will praise your name; for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure."

Reflection by Felix Carrion

"Old Faithful," in Yellowstone National Park, was named in 1870 by the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition. In 1871 Nathaniel P. Langford wrote, "It spouted at regular intervals nine times during our stay, the columns of boiling water being thrown from ninety to one hundred and twenty-five feet at each discharge, which lasted from fifteen to twenty minutes. We gave it the name of 'Old Faithful.'"

Although in this passage of Isaiah we read about God's plans for us being faithful and sure, there is no doubt that this is true for this writer because underneath these plans was a presence that was old, faithful and sure. With poetic imagery the writer pictures a God who is a "shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat".

Why is it that sometimes we don't have this feeling about God? Why is it that sometimes we don't experience this presence dispensing its grace-filled solace in regular intervals?

I think this is so because we have forgotten that we are part of the "immensity"!

For example, if you asked me where I live, I might give you my street address, or city and state.  But there is much more to my location than that. I live in the United States, which is a part of North America, which is part of the western hemisphere, which is part of planet Earth, which is part of our solar system, which is part of the Milky Way galaxy which is part of billions of galaxies, which are part of the universe, which may simply be one "bubble" in the midst of many universes called the "multiverse," which is part of the immensity.

This "Immensity" I call old, faithful and sure. In this Immensity I can weather the rainstorm.

Prayer

O God, "There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not. As Thou hast been Thou forever will be." Amen.

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About the Author Felix Carrion is Coordinator of The Stillspeaking Ministry, United Church of Christ.

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