Bible Reading: Psalms 62:1-6
My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
How long will you assault me?
Would all of you throw me down, this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
Surely they intend to topple me from my lofty place; they take delight in lies.
With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse.
Find rest, O my soul, in God; my hope comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
A Reflection
Having heard of many people struggling to get dental appointments over the last few months, I was quite surprised recently to get a text from our dentist to say that our check-ups, booked this time last year, were going ahead.
The text came with some Covid-related instructions, but we are, never-the-less, going to the dentist. Not being a fan of dentists (or dental appointments to be more accurate), I’m not sure whether this is good news or not!
Anxiety is a cunning beast. It seems to lurk around, hiding away unnoticed until there is an event that it thinks it can feed on, events like going to the dentist, and then it comes out of hiding and starts to attack. But what it feeds on is not the event itself, but the uncertainty that leads up to it.
Most of us can handle a crisis when it happens, what we struggle with is the not knowing. Waiting for the test results is worse that dealing with the facts. Planning for the interview is worse than the interview itself. We feel vulnerable and we are not sure how we will cope.
David, who wrote Psalm 62 felt vulnerable and uncertain, he describes it as feeling like a leaning wall or a tottering fence, assaulted on many sides, unable to distinguish truth from lies.
But David had learnt how to handle his anxiety. He talks about his soul, his emotions and his inner self, finding rest in God alone, his God who is his rock and his fortress. He actually goes beyond the just knowing that he can find rest in God alone, he actually encourages himself to do so, ‘Find rest, O my soul, in God’, he says.
Dentists aside, there is much that might cause us anxiety at the moment. Who will we see at Christmas time? When will I get a vaccine? How effective will it be? When will life get back to normal? How will I cope with the rest of the winter?
In all of these situations we can find rest in God. When everything else seems shaky and uncertain, when we feel like a leaning wall or a tottering fence, he is the rock on which we can stand secure, he is the fortress to which we can flee for safety. With him we will not be shaken.
A Prayer
Father God, thank you that you are my rock and my fortress.
In all that seems uncertain in life, help me to look to you and not to the problems.
Amen
My soul finds rest
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