Thoughts for the Day

Blessed be the Lord,
for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me
when I was beset as a city under siege.
I had said in my alarm,
‘I am driven far from your sight.’
But you heard my supplications
when I cried out to you for help.

Love the Lord, all you his saints.
The Lord preserves the faithful,
but abundantly repays the one who acts haughtily.
Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the Lord.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

If you've ever had to wait for a bus, train or tram with no shelter in the rain, watching other transport with a different destination pass you by, you will know about patience. You huddle into your coat and turn your back to the driving rain, but it's no good, every minute passing seems to be like an hour of waiting. Where has your transport got to? You can't be the only one waiting for that one bus or tram, surely? It's very easy to give up, but instead you cope with the weather knowing it must stop raining eventually and your transport will arrive.

Psalm 31 is a psalm of prayer and praise probably by David, for deliverance from his enemies. The lectionary today only looks at the last four verses, and we see how David has been almost overwhelmed by those who seek his life so that he feels like a "city under siege". It's as though he is being driven away from God who can no longer hear his prayers. However, because he has desperately continued with his pleas, suddenly help comes, God, has answered him. David's final words are words of encouragement to others - a reminder that God will answer those who stay strong, and those who "wait for the Lord".

Be assured, at your lowest ebb that the 'rain' will stop and the 'transport' will arrive! Because whether rain and transport or something infinitely worse, God is with you. So have patience, stay strong in the faith you have been given, knowing that a solution to your problems will be found, and wait for the Lord to answer, for He will answer.

Lord Jesus Christ,
You understand our frustrations and our fears
for You lived among us in a time of great upheaval.
Keep us strong when we are at our lowest ebb,
and when we struggle to keep going.
Give us the patience to persevere
and to wait for Your answer.
Amen.