Going to somewhere that is known as a "thin place" sets some expectations. I hoped this would be a time away and that I would experience God in a closer way. And there is something special abut this place where people have been worshiping in special ways for thousands of years. And perhaps it is an easier place to pay attention to God than the pressure of every day life. But I didn't hear any new messages from God. Instead, in gentle whispers, God reminded me that he is faithful.
The first whisper came as the ferry was approaching Mull--a partial rainbow. When I arrived at the B&B, I saw another. Rainbows remind me of Noah and God's promise to never destroy the world with a flood again. God has remained faithful to that promise, and so many other promises. It is part of who God is.
And then, the first two nights I was there, the sky was clear and the stars were amazing. The sky was covered with them. That reminded me of God's promise to the barren Abraham, and God's reminder of his faithfulness through stars earlier this fall (sense a theme?). I did a Bible search for other places the Bible talks about stars, and found Psalm 147: "He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars, and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit."
And then, as I was visiting sites around the island with a book from the Iona Community that provides reflections and prayers for each stop, I visited St. Martin's cross. It stands at the front of the abbey, and has for 1200 years, "through Viking raids, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Age of Reason, the industrial revolution, the world wars, the cold war" (Around a Thin Place, pg. 17). And through all of that, God has remained the same. Faithful.
The cross, the stars, and the rainbows were all reminders that God cares for his people and is faithful to his promises. In a world and time of life that often seems uncertain and out of my control, it is a reminder that I need.
God is faithful. He is in control. And he cares for all of us.
If you want to see more Iona pictures, see my Facebook album.
