I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart.
I will tell about the wonderful things you have done.
2 You make me happy, so I will rejoice in you.
God Most High, I praise your name.
9 Many people are suffering—
crushed by the weight of their troubles.
But the Lord is a refuge for them,
a safe place they can run to.
10 Lord, those who know your name
come to you for protection.
And when they come,
you do not leave them without help.
It may seem that those who are poor and needy have been forgotten,
but God will not forget them.
He will not leave them without hope.
Psalm 9:1-2, 9-10, 18 Easy to Read Version (ERV)
Imagine you are in a summer meadow (doesn’t hurt to dream, does it?). There is sunshine and gentle breezes. Everything looks good and smells wonderful. Lifting your face to the sun, you thank God for His presence in the beauty and in your joy.
Then you look around and see that the meadow is surrounded by forest. The trees are menacing; anything could be lurking there. (“Lions, and tigers and bears? Oh, my!”)
And now you are afraid. Not of what you see, but of what you don’t see. “What dangers should I be prepared for?” you wonder uneasily (“crushed by the weight of your troubles.” v 9).
From this angle, the trees look intimidatingly dark and crowded. But now you see spaces between them, spaces filled with sunlight. That scary place is as filled with the presence of God as is the meadow, where you have been feeling perfectly safe and happy all this time.
And you remember: because you are His, wherever you are, He also is, being your safety, protection, help and hope.
We all walk those scary paths sometimes. Life is like that. So if your path leads through the darkness today, grab His hand and keep going. You have a lot of company: we’re all on this journey together, after all.
A God wise enough to create me and the world I live in
is wise enough to watch out for me. – Philip Yancey
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If the Lord be with us, we have no cause of fear.
His eye is upon us, His arm over us, His ear open to our prayer –
His grace sufficient, His promise unchangeable. – John Newton