We live in a time of war and difficult circumstances in the Holy Land. Over the past six years, we have gone through so much—from the coronavirus pandemic to repeated wars—as if we are living in a continuous cycle of challenges that affect mental health, whether in terms of work and its decline due to increased unemployment, or the economy affected by conditions that have made it harder to adapt in our lives. Rest and the restoration of the soul come through God well-known hymns:
“Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee, How great Thou art; and when I walk through the woods and hear the melody among the branches.”
“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place.” — Psalms 8:3 (NIV)
The beautiful nature of God refreshes our souls with His beauty. The Lord is good in the midst of difficult circumstances, and holding on to Him helps us see things from a different perspective— one that allows us to see the beauty of the Creator, who gives rest to our souls and fills us with His beauty. My prayer is that you look to the Creator in the midst of your difficult circumstances, lessen your focus on the difficulties, because His peace fills you when you see His beauty.
From the hymn How Great Thou Art
Written by Carl Boberg (1885)
English version by Stuart K. Hine (c. 1949)