Focus

Stop and thank God for being present with you today. Ask for God’s guidance as you hear God’s voice through scripture and the writer.

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Read

Psalm 84:8-12 (NRSV)

O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
Behold our shield, O God;
look on the face of your anointed.

For a day in your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than live in the tents of wickedness.
For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
he bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does the LORD withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
O LORD of hosts,
happy is everyone who trusts in you.

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Reflect

“O Lord of hosts, happy is everyone who trusts in you” (verse 12). It has been said that almost no one makes it out of childhood and youth without at least some damage having been done to his or her capacity for trust. Children eventually recognize that their parents have said one thing but done another. At school, someone is a friend to you one day and walks away from you the next. Teen-agers face enormous trust issues, including whether they can trust the significant changes happening in their very own bodies. Adults, of course, are not excluded from trust issues: in relationships, in vocations, in choices to be made about life. One of the main issues of life is learning to trust again.

Cumberland Presbyterians encourage one another to trust in the God revealed to us in Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Such encouragement was on vivid display at the Program of Alternate Studies. It was interesting to hear students near the end of their studies say to beginners, “Trust me, all the work is worth it.” It was inspiring to hear bi-vocational ministers say to other bi-vocational ministers, “It is not easy to manage my job and pastoral responsibilities, but God is faithful and trustworthy to make a way.” It was truly inspiring to hear their stories of God’s faithfulness in their lives and in the lives of the people in the congregations they serve.

“O Lord of hosts, happy is everyone who trusts in you.” Each new day presents opportunities to grow in our trust in God.

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Pray

Trustworthy God, we are grateful for your faithfulness to us. Grant us to live always trusting in your grace, mercy, and peace. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Go with God.