Thoughts for the Day

I will extol you, my God and my King,
and bless your name for ever and ever.

Every day I will bless you,
and praise your name for ever and ever....

The Lord is gracious and merciful
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

The Lord is good to all,
and his compassion is over all that he has made.

All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
and all your faithful shall bless you....

The Lord is faithful in all his words,
and gracious in all his deeds.

The Lord upholds all who are falling,
and raises up all who are bowed down....

The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
You open your hand,
satisfying the desire of every living thing.
The Lord is just in all his ways,
and kind in all his doings.
The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
He fulfils the desire of all who fear him;
he also hears their cry, and saves them.
The Lord watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.

My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
and all flesh will bless his holy name for ever and ever.

(New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

* Today's reading from Acts was used a few week's ago for St Barnabas (Acts 11), so I have changed the reading
for the day.

I remember sliding down from the roof ridge of the old rusty tin shed where the pig-swill was cooked on an old boiler, panicking that if I hit one of the holes in the roof then I would fall through and land in the cooking pot. I was about 12 years old and along with my brother and sister, loved to climb trees. For a while we lived in the downstairs of a large old house with acres of ground that backed onto a forest. It was our habit to climb a particular tree at one end of the old shed, then walk along its roof (which had more holes than roof), and the first one to reach the second tree at the other end, would then climb it, before pelting the others with fir cones. On the day I fell, I don't know how I missed the holes, but I somehow slid down the roof and off into space, to find myself landing on a pile of straw that the farmer had put just at that point. God must definitely have been upholding me, literally, on that day!

Today, we may not be likely to fall out of a tree or off a roof, but nevertheless many of us feel as though we are in need of being upheld by God particularly when our whole world seems in such a mess - economically, socially and militarily - as we continue to slowly destroy our earth.

Psalm 145 is one of two psalms marked as personal psalms of David in some translations - perhaps his favourites! It reminds us that God is already upholding us. He is supporting us when we feel as though we are falling or indeed have already fallen - when we feel utterly alone; when fear threatens to overwhelm us; when we see our income dwindling and do not know where to turn; when a loved one is seriously ill; or when the future does not feel secure - then it's time to stop and remind ourselves that the Lord is with us in this crazy world of ours. He promises to catch us when we fall, and lift us up, whatever happens. Or in my case ensure a soft landing!

Heavenly Father,
when life is difficult and we are struggling,
help us to remember that You are there
in every situation,
to lift us up or catch us when we fall.
Give us courage to face the future,
and to put all our trust in You.
Amen.