God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in
trouble.
Psalm 46:1
Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
This verse, which forms the basis of my favorite hymn
written by Martin Luther, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, brings great
comfort to me in the times of trouble in my life. When life’s troubles get me down and I can’t
figure out how to deal with them all on my own, I am confronted and comforted
by this verse. It serves as a reminder
that I am not expected to, nor will I ever truly, get through life’s troubles
on my own. For no matter what else
happens, no matter who else is in my life, God is present and accompanying me
through life’s trials and tribulations.
When I had been in South Africa for about 4 months, I
experienced a time of great trouble in my life.
I was away from home and my usual support networks during the Holidays
for the first time. I had been pick
pocketed coming home from a retreat and was struggling to deal with my sense of
victimization. It was even starting to
impact my interactions with those at the crèche where I was spending most of my
time. Nothing I tried on my own seemed
to work to make things better.
Thankfully, God was very much present for me in this time of
distress. God was present in the love of
my sisters in Christ at the crèche who noticed something was wrong and spoke
up. They took action and comforted
me. They sought the help of the parish
pastor and my supervisor who was able to help me work through things. In that moment, surrounded by the love of my brothers
and sisters in Christ, God was very much present, and a great refuge against
life’s troubles.
Now, God’s presence and ability to be a refuge and strength
for people in their times of trouble is not dependent on the body of Christ,
but we can and do often play a role in this nonetheless. It is one way that we can and do cooperate
with God’s abundant and everlasting love for the world. And it happens every day. When we comfort each other, God is a present
help in trouble. When we work together
to provide a shelter for those experiencing homelessness, God is a present help
in trouble. When we spend a week of our
lives helping others with projects in their homes, God is a present help in
trouble. When we visit a lonely person,
God is a present help in trouble. When
we acknowledge a beggar on the streets as a beloved child of God, God is a
present help in trouble.
There are many ways that God is our refuge and
strength. Sometimes, they are ways that
we least expect.
God’s peace be with you,
Vicar Mike