SAINT LUCY, VIRGIN AND MARTYR (MEMORIAL)

How goodly are your tents, O Jacob! 

Fair tents? Lush gardens? Tall cedars? Nourished as by flowing waters? A laughable description at best! It’s easy to read Balaam’s prophecy as comforting words of hope and miss out on the humorous disconnect in this passage. At the time when Balaam uttered these words, the Israelites were not much more than a ragged band of nomads and former slaves wandering in the desert.

But Balaam wasn’t looking at the Israelites for who they were at that moment. He saw them as who they would become. And that’s why this is such a hope-filled passage. This is the way God always looks at us. He doesn’t see sins; he sees the blood of his Son washing us clean. He doesn’t see weaknesses and failures; he sees his children clothed in the strength and dignity of Christ. As he looks down from heaven, he sees us spotlessly pure and filled with his Spirit.

That includes you!

God always sees you in light of his perfect plan and intentions for your life. So often, our sight is fixed on the ragged edges of who we are or what we’ve done. But we don’t have to mire ourselves in problems, sins, and difficulties. We will always be far more than the sum of all our troubles. Why? Because we will always be treasured children of an all-loving God.

This central truth can set us free from anxiety. It can empower us to enjoy the gifts and talents God has given us. And it can move us to look forward with eager anticipation toward everything that he still has in store for us.

So what can you do today to respond to this amazing truth? You can praise God that he has adopted you as his son or daughter. You are precious in his sight, chosen and beloved from before time began. You are a member of God’s own family, and you have great dignity and honor. Nothing can rob you of your place in God’s house; nothing can convince him to disown you or abandon you. So marvel today in who you are—and in who you are destined to become!

“Father, I stand in awe and praise you for your power and incomparable love.”

Psalm 25:4-9
Matthew 21:23-27
Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17