I will love to thee, O Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.
The sorrows of death compassed me and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
The sorrows of hell compassed me about, The snares of death prevented me.
In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God; he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.
This scripture reminds me how important it is to have a sure foundation in our lives. That simple parable of the man who built his house on the rock and the floods could not harm him is actually quite profound.
When my husband and I were working with our church's welfare initiative, we created a box that represented a person's life. We chose "Faith and Hope" as one shelf in that box which was used to assess a person's resources. Faith assumes the belief in God but hope assumes trust in the future - something to live for. Hope is a confidence in ultimate, happy outcomes.
This last year has been a difficult year. It seems the world has gone crazy. The election in the United States was unbelievable. We ended up with a president that I just do not like as a person. He is vulgar, coarse, rude, undignified, an embarrassment. He eggs others to act the same.
The language of modern political discourse is so divisive. The political parties in America refuse to work together. There is no compromise - no consideration for the common good, no desire to understand each other. I find it absolutely frightening.
The language of modern political discourse is so divisive. The political parties in America refuse to work together. There is no compromise - no consideration for the common good, no desire to understand each other. I find it absolutely frightening.
Add to that a summer of fires, earthquakes, and hurricanes. We watched devastation after devastation.
ISIS continues to terrorize wherever it can. North Korea is threatening to test nuclear warheads in the atmosphere - a small man's show of power.
Racial divide is raising its ugly head again.
I find it easy to identify with this psalm - sorrows of death, floods of ungodly men, hell compassed me about.
Like the psalmist, I declare the Lord is my rock and fortress. The Gospel of Jesus Christ keeps me sane! "I know who I am. I know God's plan. I'll follow him in faith."
Hymn # 128 When Faith Endures
I will not doubt, I will not fear
God's love and strength are always near.
His promised gift helps me to find
An inner strength and peace of mind.
I give the Father willingly
My trust, my prayers, humility.
His Spirit guides, his love assures
That fear departs when faith endures.
When life gets depressing I take a retreat. I spend more time with the Lord - reading His word, talking with Him, quieting my mind so that I can hear Him, visiting His house, serving His children. I ponder who He is and my relationship to Him. I think about His characteristics: love, kindness, justice, mercy, long-suffering, patience, and think about what the world would be like if we all followed Him. I recommit to living His law in my own life, to making one small piece of this planet a little kinder. I place my faith and trust in the Lord.
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