The Chest of God was taken

1Samuel 4:18 At the words "Chest of God", Eli fell backward off his stool where he sat next to the gate. Eli was an old man and very fat. When he fell he broke his neck and died. He had led Israel for 40 years. What a calamity!! The Ark of the Covenant ("Chest of God"), the crafted wooden box wherein the God of Israel was presumed to dwell had been captured by the Philistines, Israel's arch-enemies. Now, we don't think of God living in boxes, nor do we think that God can be contained by a particular box or dwelling, although we may find ourselves experiencing a closer connection to God in particular places. But in those days, the Ark was where God was and if it was gone from the community, God was gone from the community. No wonder the shock knocked Eli off his seat -- it must have seemed like the end of the world.....But then follows a strange and even amusing tale about how God plagued the Philistines so badly that they eventually sent the Ark back to the Israelites, along with many solid gold objects to apologize and appease the power of the God of Israel. So, actually, God can take care of things in God's own way, and even do so with a sense of humor. All this says to me, "Lighten up. It's all in God's hands." What work am I doing or worrying about that will be taken care of in its own time? Am I obsessed with getting it done my way, in my time frame? What situations am I turning into calamities, taking too seriously, pressuring myself about because they seem beyond my power, that I might be better off taking more lightly and trusting that it will work itself out in its own time? Prayer: Dear God, It's easy to take my problems so seriously that I forget what is really important: You and Your Kingdom. Help me to take my own problems more lightly, to offer them to you for working out in your time, and stay focused on what is important--living the life you call me to. Amen