Love and faithfulness meet together;
righteousness and peace kiss each other.
Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,
and righteousness looks down from heaven.
(Psalm 85:10-11 NIV)
While visiting Washington, D.C., I toured the sites where President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated and later died. Next door, in the bookstore, I was struck by a towering, three-story stack of books—all written about Lincoln’s life. The books wrapped around a central pillar and stretched all the way to the ceiling. Considering that Lincoln died at the age of 56, it’s remarkable how many volumes have been written in an attempt to capture every detail and perspective of his life. I imagine Lincoln himself would have found such an effort unnecessary—maybe even absurd. After all, no number of books can fully contain the depth and complexity of a person’s life. At best, they offer glimpses—partial, imperfect, and incomplete.
This reminded me of how the Bible tells stories. It, too, is full of glimpses—snapshots—of people’s lives. Sometimes the snapshots are long, sometimes short, but they never give us the full picture. God seems to use these fragments to highlight something he wants us to learn, rarely providing much background or context. I’ve come to think that maybe this is intentional. If we knew more about people like Isaac, Mary, or Thomas, we might get distracted by their full biographies and miss what God is trying to communicate through their specific moments.
This idea of “snapshots” came up again in my Bible study group yesterday. Someone brought up the Beatitude: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” She pointed out that mourning is a season, not a constant state. It’s easy to read the Beatitudes and feel reassured that our suffering will one day be comforted or even rewarded. But even in long, difficult seasons, it’s important to remember that these times are temporary—they come, but they also pass.
While we’re in the midst of those hard seasons—feeling poor in spirit, mourning, or meek—it can be hard to see beyond them. But the hope is that a new season will come. And even while we wait, we can take comfort in knowing that God is present with us in those places. The snapshots of pain and struggle in the Bible aren’t the whole story—but they do remind us that God is near in every part of it.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:1-12 NIV)
God,
Today we pray for your help in being a blessing to others. May we walk with compassion alongside those who are poor in spirit, those who mourn, and those who are persecuted. May we be a people who hunger and thirst for righteousness, who are pure in heart, and who strive to make peace. In every moment, every “snapshot,” and every season of life, may we be aware of your Presence and trust in your faithfulness. Jesus, give us hearts to be all you’ve created us to be, we ask in your name. AMEN.
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to blot out their name from the earth.
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the Lord delivers him from them all;
he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken. (Psalm 34:15-20 NIV)