Thoughts for the Day

You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
will say to the Lord, 'My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust.'
For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence......

You will not fear the terror of the night,
or the arrow that flies by day,
or the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
or the destruction that wastes at noonday......

Those who love me, I will deliver;
I will protect those who know my name.
When they call to me, I will answer them;
I will be with them in trouble.

(New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

As a small child you know that your parent (or big person - ie the person who cares for you) can sort everything out. They can repair the toy that became broken; they can bandage your arm or leg when hurt; they can fix the bike tyres when they are flat. However, the day comes when the gas filled balloon you have been holding becomes detached from your hand and it flies up into the sky, and they cannot fetch it back! Reality begins to set in, as you discover that your big person cannot sort everything out, they are unfortunately fallible.

Psalm 91 says that whatever happens God is with us - He is with us in that moment of danger; He is with us when we have night terrors; and He is with us when Covid-19 strikes. It also says He will deliver us from these perils. But it doesn't say that He will remove them from us necessarily. His plans may be different to ours, and He may well decide to call us home to be with Him. However, whatever perils we face, God is with us, and He will rescue us when the time is right.

Monday 24th August, follow up thoughts

Lord God, Heavenly Father,
teach us to trust in You
that whatever happens to us,
and whenever we are afraid,
we shall know that You are
there with us,
and in the end everything
will be alright and it will be
part of Your eternal plan.
Amen.