The Morning After
Dear LABC,
Many of us are having a tough time with the result of yesterday’s presidential election. In the face of that struggle, our Wednesday Morning Bible Study and Prayer group met this morning. Using a Lectio Divina process we read Psalm 46 several times. The Psalm begins – “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea.”
After each reading we considered a question. The questions we considered were:
- What jumped out at you as we read this Psalm?
- What in the Psalm seems to be taken from today’s headlines?
- What did you read/hear that you will keep with you today?
- What is the really good news here?
(I encourage you to read the Psalm using the same process.)
Around the table were Doris Evans, Zondra Martin, Jeanne Robinson, Alean Saunders-Coffey, Jesse Lucas, Mary Karne, Ann Fields and me. I found faith, wisdom and encouragement in all their responses. Thus, let me at least share their responses to question four with you.
- God is identified as the God of Jacob and Jacob’s character was not very good. He was a conniver but God still used him.
- God is reliable when not much else is.
- God helps us even when the headlines are shocking and the circumstances are deplorable.
- God is ever present, not just present when things are going well.
- God can bring good out of some pretty awful raw material.
- We have lived though some very tough times and we still have a place to turn.
- When things happen that we cannot control we can be still and turn to God.
Thank you to these good folks for ministering to me. I trust that their words minister to you as well.
Jim H.