The author of Psalm 27 begins the song by asking a question: Whom shall I fear? Of whom shall I be afraid?
Reflecting on your life and situation, how might you answer this question? What or whom are you afraid of? There is no question that we are in the midst of a difficult season. We have experienced a cold and terribly wet fall. It has been challenging and often impossible for you to complete the work of harvest. I have listened to your laments and fears for the time to come. You worry about the future.
As we live into the future, we know that we will experience joys and sorrows and everything in between. The challenge is to remain hopeful clinging to the promises that God has given to us. The Psalmist goes through a list of the ways that God has provided through the years including protection from enemies and making a way to dwell in the kingdom of God forever.
What strikes me is the image the Psalmist offers of God’s protection: For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.
If the author were writing in this place and time they might say: God will give me a home that keeps me warm when the winter winds blow. God will protect me when my fears threaten to overwhelm me. God will pluck me out of the mud of an unharvested filed and put me on dry ground. God will give you what you need for today.
It is difficult to look ahead with hope when there is so much that can lead us to depression and despair. The promise that we are given in God is that we shall see the goodness of the Lord. We are called to wait for the Lord, to be strong, and let our hearts take courage.
Through this season and into the next, I pray that you are your families know the peace of God and that you are strengthened in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
