Focus

Be still and rest in the Lord.

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Read

Psalm 49:1-12 (NRSV)

Hear this, all you peoples;
give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
both low and high,
rich and poor together.
My mouth shall speak wisdom;
the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
I will incline my ear to a proverb;
I will solve my riddle to the music of the harp.

Why should I fear in times of trouble,
when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me,
those who trust in their wealth
and boast of the abundance of their riches?
Truly, no ransom avails for one’s life,
there is no price one can give to God for it.
For the ransom of life is costly,
and can never suffice,
that one should live on forever
and never see the grave.

When we look at the wise, they die;
fool and dolt perish together
and leave their wealth to others.
Their graves are their homes forever,
their dwelling places to all generations,
though they named lands their own.
Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;
they are like the animals that perish.

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Reflect

Let me share the following story (author unknown):

I remember one night when I was taking care of a couple of our grandchildren. It was late in the evening, but since grandfathers usually let their grandchildren stay up longer than they should, they were still awake.

We were laughing, messing around, and having a great time together when we suddenly heard a knock at the door. Not the doorbell, but a mysterious knocking. Immediately one of my grandsons grabbed hold of my arm.

“It’s OK,” I said. The knock came again, and I started to the door. My grandson followed me, but he hung on to my left leg and hid behind me as I opened the door.

It was one of my son’s friends who had dropped by unexpectedly. After the person had left and I’d closed the door, my grandson, still holding on to my leg, said in a strong voice, “Bubba, we don’t have anything to worry about, do we?”

And I said, “No, we don’t have anything to worry about. Everything’s fine.”

You know why he was strong? Because he was hanging on to protection. As long as he was clinging to my leg, he didn’t have to worry about a thing.

God is our refuge and stronghold.

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Pray

Dear God, thank you that my life is in your hands and that you are always with me in my days of despair, just as you are in my days of rejoicing. Thank you, too, for your promise that you will never leave me nor forsake me. Help me always to remember this, trust my life to you, and be willing to face what I am contributing to my situation, change what I can change, and learn to accept joyfully what I cannot change. Gratefully, in Jesus’s name. Amen.

Go with God.