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;
he will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
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.

A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
You will only look with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

Because you have made the Lord your refuge,
the Most High your dwelling-place,
no evil shall befall you,
no scourge come near your tent.

For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the adder,
the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.

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,
I will rescue them and honour them.
With long life I will satisfy them,
and show them my salvation.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

I was sorting out clothing I no longer wanted when I came across a rather large t-shirt (I am 4 stone lighter now) with the words "I walked Hadrian's wall" on the back. Warm memories came flooding back of the week a friend and I walked the wall. The number of times we could see our destination a short distance away only to discover we have six more descents and worst still six more ascents to go! Another odd memory that came back was the fact that in Roman times it wasn't all about the forts and watch towers that housed the auxiliaries, it was also about the local settlements that were established right up against the wall. This meant they could sell their wares to the soldiers, but also in the shadow of the wall it would have given them protection from Scottish invaders.

Today's Psalm, number 91, was supposed to be only four verses according to the Lectionary, but its a tragedy to cut this magnificent psalm short. Spend some time today if you can to look up the following and let the words and phrases sink into your soul:

• The images of animals and birds used (around 5?).
• The images of death used (around 10?)
• The number of times confidence is shown in God (how many?)

Have we this kind of confidence in God - that we live in God's shadow, that He is with us when we are in trouble, and that He will rescue us in His time? Because we have chosen to find refuge in the Almighty ultimately we shall be saved, but we have to have complete confidence in our trust, and not waver when life gets hard. The Psalmist affirms his total faith in God who says: 'When they call to me, I will answer them.'

Father-God,
may we have enough faith to know
that we live in Your shadow,
and are protected when we call upon You.
Give us the certainty to know that Your plans
are bigger than our fleeting desires,
and when the future looks dark
that we are still under Your protection.
Amen.