When I lived in Australia, I became an avid sailor.  One summer, I helped deliver a yacht from Tasmania to Melbourne.  It took the crew and me about five days of sailing.  The most strenuous part of the trip is sailing  through Bass Straight because there is no land in sight.  It is a complete 360 degree view of water all around you for about 36 hours.  As a crew, we split up shifts – four hours on, four hours off.  One of my shifts was from 2 to 6 am.  The sky was pitch black, but it was bright because the stars shone so brightly.  But I can tell you that I was straining my eyes for the horizon.  I was straining my eyes for land.  I was straining my eyes to the horizon, waiting for the sun to rise.  In this time of pandemic, I can totally relate to the psalmist who wrote, “My soul waits for the Lord. And in his word I put my hope. More than the watchman waits for the dawn.”  As the watchman for my crew, I knew that once we saw the dawn, then we would be home.

My friends, may we continuously look for the signs of the dawn as we face this unprecedented time for our world together.  Here is one of my all-time favorite videos of Psalm 130.  It is sung by an Australian group called Sons of Korah.  I watch it in times when I am stressed or sad, and it brings me deep comfort.  I hope it does the same for you.

Blessings, Pastor Pamela