This is from the Lord

News From Jerusalem

By Lilly Cohen

I’ve had a good year. Exceptionally so. In fact, looking back in a few years’ time, I’ll remember the twelve months that thronged together to form 2014 as special, worthwhile, exceptional. Oh make no mistake about it. Bad things happened in 2014. Quite a few of them in fact. But there’s one little thing that enables me to look back at the year that was with a glow of gratitude and satisfaction. It’s called hindsight.

You might call it retrospect. Or reflection. I prefer the term hindsight. Probably because to me it implies the ability to look at things from the vantage point of a spectator. Which is virtually impossible when you’re right in the midst of the emotions, intensity and drama that come with actually experiencing the events chronologically. Hindsight allows you to look at things in context, to see the bigger picture. But that’s not the reason why I’m so fond of hindsight. See, to me, hindsight is often one of the clearest ways in which I can trace the hand of God so intimately at work in my life.

It’s hindsight that allows me to label 2014 as good. As a spectator of past events I can draw that conclusion. Yet while being a participant, while smack in the middle of all the emotions, intensity and drama, I’d have given a different verdict. Because 2014 was also challenging, tragic, terrifying and above all, one of the toughest years ever. But looking back, there’s one thing that stands out above all the challenges, tragedies, terror and toughness. I see God’s presence, His hand, His guidance, His amazing mercy and His miraculous intervention. I see Him clearly as my Shepherd, knowing where all the greenest pastures are. I see Him as my Champion, fighting and conquering on my behalf. As my Father, providing a way and a means and path in the desert when I thought the end of the road had come. But above all, I see Him as Master Orchestrator, weaving His good plan for my life.

I read something the other day that kind of sums up my feelings about this. On the eve of what history later called the Six Day War, Israel’s prospects were pretty grim. So grim, in fact, that rabbis began commissioning public parks to bury the tens of thousands who were surely to die in the slaughter to follow. A mere six days later the world stood stunned. Military experts couldn’t explain such an overwhelming, such an against-all-odds, outright victory. But Moshe Dayan, commander of the Israeli forces, could. Because even this self-proclaimed secular Jew, with little, if any, time for religion, recognized a miracle when it unfolded right on his front yard. After nearly 2,000 years of being tossed from one foreign ruler to the next, Jerusalem belonged to the descendants of King David once again. And for the first time in nearly 2,000 years, Jews were allowed to pray at the Western Wall, the only remaining structure of the Second Temple. It is here where Commander Dayan came the morning after the Six Day War was won. In keeping with tradition, he tucked a hand-written note to God in the cleft of the rock wall. The note echoed Jerusalem’s first and most famous poet king, “This is from the Lord and is His doing; it is marvelous is our eyes” (Psalm 118:23).

As 2014 draws to a close, I add my voice to that of King David and Moshe Dayan. And I add my voice to all those who look back at the year that was to see our Shepherd, our Champion, our Father and our Master Orchestrator weaving His good plans for our lives: this is from You my Lord, it is Your doing. And it is marvellous in our eyes.

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