It is clear Kathleen is in love with NY152 right from the opening scenes. This movie works so well, in part, because it is a mystery to her who the man is. We know exactly who he is, and it is delicious to be in the loop while she is not. It adds an element of juicy suspense to a romantic comedy that is not often there. We are on the edge of our seats waiting and hoping, yet dreading, the moment they each discover who their anonymous love interest is. The tension is palpable: he is closer than she thinks.
First we see them passing each other wordlessly on the street. Later, when she knows Joe Fox is the book tycoon that is putting her out of business, she goes to her cyber supporter, NY152 for advice. He is all around her, and she is completely unaware of his presence. Even when she was face-to-face with Joe, she was disappointed in NY152 for not showing up.
Have you ever felt jilted by God? I certainly have.
It was 1995. My cousin’s 13-year-old daughter had been diagnosed with leukemia. We were all part of a little, faith-filled church. We believed in the healing power of God, and we believed in miracles. We prayed around the clock. We claimed God’s promises of healing. Everyone who could went in and got tested to find out if we were a bone marrow match for her. We waited expectantly for her to be healed. For a while, she rallied. She came back from the brink of death and all signs of the illness disappeared. She got stronger and felt better. She even went back to school. But a few short months later, it was back. She died in her sleep the last Saturday in May.
Even now it is hard to write about it. We were all in shock. I was angry. I didn’t understand how God could let this happen. I wondered why God just didn’t show up.
Since then, of course, I realize that He was there all along. He felt her pain, and He felt our loss. He grieved with us because we were hurting. And He pressed in to comfort each one of us.
If you have ever experienced deep hurt, disappointment or tragedy you may have asked, “Where was God?”
He was close to you then, even if it felt like He wasn’t. He provides a promise that speaks to the restoration that can be yours.
He will:
“Bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”
Isaiah 61:3
This passage was written hundreds of years before the time of Christ. Jesus took this very passage written by the prophet Isaiah, and read that scroll aloud in his synagogue. Afterwards He declared, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Jesus is the One and Only who can, and will, make good on His promise to turn your hurts and pains into something beautiful, if only you will let Him.
“He has made everything beautiful in its time.”
Ecclesiastes 3:11
Yes, even in the midst of pain, He is closer than we think.
First we see them passing each other wordlessly on the street. Later, when she knows Joe Fox is the book tycoon that is putting her out of business, she goes to her cyber supporter, NY152 for advice. He is all around her, and she is completely unaware of his presence. Even when she was face-to-face with Joe, she was disappointed in NY152 for not showing up.
Have you ever felt jilted by God? I certainly have.
It was 1995. My cousin’s 13-year-old daughter had been diagnosed with leukemia. We were all part of a little, faith-filled church. We believed in the healing power of God, and we believed in miracles. We prayed around the clock. We claimed God’s promises of healing. Everyone who could went in and got tested to find out if we were a bone marrow match for her. We waited expectantly for her to be healed. For a while, she rallied. She came back from the brink of death and all signs of the illness disappeared. She got stronger and felt better. She even went back to school. But a few short months later, it was back. She died in her sleep the last Saturday in May.
Even now it is hard to write about it. We were all in shock. I was angry. I didn’t understand how God could let this happen. I wondered why God just didn’t show up.
Since then, of course, I realize that He was there all along. He felt her pain, and He felt our loss. He grieved with us because we were hurting. And He pressed in to comfort each one of us.
If you have ever experienced deep hurt, disappointment or tragedy you may have asked, “Where was God?”
He was close to you then, even if it felt like He wasn’t. He provides a promise that speaks to the restoration that can be yours.
He will:
“Bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”
Isaiah 61:3
This passage was written hundreds of years before the time of Christ. Jesus took this very passage written by the prophet Isaiah, and read that scroll aloud in his synagogue. Afterwards He declared, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Jesus is the One and Only who can, and will, make good on His promise to turn your hurts and pains into something beautiful, if only you will let Him.
“He has made everything beautiful in its time.”
Ecclesiastes 3:11
Yes, even in the midst of pain, He is closer than we think.
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