May God lead us kindly through these times, but above all, may God lead us to himself.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

To me, this is such a simple, beautiful prayer. Written from a prison cell in the midst of a terrible war, but so applicable to our time. A prayer that God would lead us through the challenges that we face in our world right now. But, more importantly, that God would help us to grow closer to God in the midst of these challenges.

I am looking forward to a widely available vaccine, an end to this pandemic, and a return to “normal,” of course. But this prayer reminds me that there is something far more important at stake – that all the circumstances we face right now, in our life and in our world, would not lead us away from God, but would lead us ever closer to God.

Because nothing can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ, this can always be true. May it be so for us all.