Thoughts for the Day

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will make your vindication shine like the light,
and the justice of your cause like the noonday.

Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him...

Our steps are made firm by the Lord,
when he delights in our way;
though we stumble we shall not fall headlong,
for the Lord holds us by the hand.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

I have a favourite bible verse, which I often say. It's amazing what it does to combat worry and stress:

'In returning and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and trust shall be your strength.'
(Isaiah 30.15)

Today's reading from Psalm 37 reminds me of this verse. It was apparently written by David approximately 1000 BCE, whereas the Isaiah verse was written in Judah some three hundred years later. Both are concerned that we are to trust in God's plans for our life. As a small child holds the hand of a parent, to ensure their safety and to give them reassurance, so we should see our Heavenly Father as holding our hand to protect and keep us safe. David says 'We shall not fall headlong'.

When things go wrong and we find ourselves in a flat spin of worry we need to stop, turn to God, and in stillness wait patiently for Him to answer. God loves us and has our good in mind at all times, but that is not say that we won't undergo challenges. We need to learn to say "Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him," then learn to trust God's solution for our life.

Heavenly Father,
when we are worried
and life is difficult
help us to know
that we should turn to You.
Quieten our minds,
that we may be still before You,
and give us patience,
to trust that You
are there to help us always.
Amen.