The shelter of God’s peace is something I hope to communicate in this Lenten devotion today. Sometimes, we all feel a steady stream of worries such as global catastrophes, politics, terrorism, pollution, economic and financial concerns. Then, we mix in those internal struggles involving interpersonal areas of conflict, feelings of failure and guilt, and the constant search for meaning and worth. It is even so in the church because the world is also a part of the church and sometimes all of these worries are a real recipe for despair.
In verse 2, the Psalmist tells us “we will not be afraid.” How can we say this when we are so prone to be afraid, unforgiving and self-centered? How can we know peace in a world that seems so “out of control?”
The Psalmist begins by telling us that “God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble.” God is our peace and Jesus showed us that He too often needed God’s strength within. God is in control. We must pause, rest easy and not always expect life to make sense. We should not fear because those surprises occur; but remember that nothing takes God by surprise.
An emergency room nurse, who is a friend of mine, tells the story of an event when she was in her 20’s. A Christian father lost not one of his two teenagers in a car accident, but both of them. He handled the event with such trust in God and such peace that it transformed my friend’s life forever to witness his faith. She is now the friend who fifty years later has a prayer box in her home and prays daily for the worries and concerns of her friends and the world at large.
Consider the first three stanzas in this Psalm. First, even if the whole world should crumble, we can find refuge in God. He is our strength. Then, even through floods and nations collapsing, God is our stronghold. Finally, the Psalmist invites us to witness the works of God. He is exalted, along with us and the stronghold.
If we provide others with the witness that this church, the body of Christ, can be to the community; then He will be exalted even in the midst of all of our struggles.
Now let us pause, give some time to God, to pray and let Him give us the peace that passeth all our understanding.
Written by Anne Wray
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