Devotional Messages

Psalm 46:1-3 – God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult.  (NRSV)

When someone dies, the world changes.  When it is someone close to us, we may feel that change in our bodies.  Breath may not come as easily; vessels may tighten up and cause pain.  When it’s on a scale beyond our comprehension – tens of thousands of people lost in crumbled buildings – the impact lasts for years.  The change unfolds over decades.

The psalmist tells us that God is a “very present help,” but sometimes it’s hard to believe that.  Sometimes our grief just feel like total absence.  But what if the fact that we can breathe at all is God’s presence, helping?  What if the fact that we will remind one another to eat in the midst of our grief, that there are people working to provide meals to those who’ve lost everything, is God’s presence, helping?

There is no doubt the earth is changing, on any level you might consider.  And a lot of that change is frightening.  Adaptation is often seen as a sign of life; if we’re changing, we’re alive.  And yet, change often feels like loss, taking away what was before.  Can we help each other remember that God is our refuge and strength?  Can we remember to turn to God in times of trouble?

Collect for the Week:  Gracious, Loving God, whose everlasting arms sustain our world, grant us faith and comfort in times of trouble and sorrow, that we might testify to your eternal mercy.  Through Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit, Amen.