As I look upon the silent swings in the playground out of the window of my office at church, it is one more reminder of the pause in all our lives. The hallways and classrooms sit vacant, the sanctuary still, and the parking lot vacant yet, to be in despair or idle would squander the opportunity to truly be the tip of the spear for a community in crisis. We, as the church body can see with spiritual eyes the humility calamity causes in a culture and prepare our hearts for the coming catch.
I look to the scriptures and the book of songs; Psalms, a book in which King David and the other contributors to this collection of praise, poetry, and pain, poured out before the Lord. In this biblical cook the collection of contributors are honest about their fears and failures. Though there is this authenticity revealing the human heart at its most vulnerable, often there is courageous faith modeled. Check these out . . . (I encourage you to read the entire chapters of these Psalms.)
Psalm 46:1-3
1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
Psalm 27: 3, 13-14
3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear
13 I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living!
14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
This last verse - Wait for the LORD, be strong. Be strong - be gaining in strength, exercising your faith. Be tooling up and sharpening yourself through time with God, in His word and presence. Let your heart take courage as you will be God’s ambassador when you give courage to others for you know that you will look upon the goodness of the Lord.
Prayer: Oh God…it is easy to slip into fear every day. My heart is not as steadfast as it needs to be but I realize you are teaching me to rely on You. You provide peace for this is Your character. You provide hope because You are the hope of the nations. You provide joy because You are the strength of my life. I know that You are in control and I rest in You. Let me be idle rather tuned to your Spirit and Kingdom purposes, readied by your presence to share Your goodness with the community around me. Thank you for this time to sit at your feet, pray for and prepare for the coming catch. Amen