Thoughts for the Day

All nations surrounded me;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off
They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
They surrounded me like bees;
they blazed like a fire of thorns;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
I was pushed hard, so that I was falling,
but the Lord helped me.
The Lord is my strength and my might;
he has become my salvation.

(Church in Wales Lectionary, from New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

How is your blood-pressure at the moment? Even if you don't measure it, can you tell if you're stressed? Like our man or woman in the psalm we can feel as though the hordes of Midian are attacking us at the moment - perhaps as the pandemic is getting worse we, or our family, are threatened by it; or our business is going under; or we haven't seen anyone for days on end; or we wonder how we shall survive on the money left in the bank. Even where this does not apply, all of us can feel stressed at times.

We can find ways of calming down - in nature, in exercise, or our hobbies - but never forget the words of the psalmist: 'I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me.'

Try asking God for help with the stress!

Lord God,
let us never forget
that we should turn to You
before we get stressed;
but when we forget
You are still there ready to help us.
Amen.