MONDAY, MARCH 16
Psalm 46:1-3 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; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult.
I marvel that these words, written possibly three thousand years ago, can speak so clearly to us today! What calamities, what events beyond the control of mere mortals, have people experienced over the centuries? Wars, epidemics, crop failures, etc. Some scientists suggest that the introduction of European diseases to the Americas by Spanish conquistadors in the 1500s killed 60 million people, 9% of the world population. This resulted in a land area about the size of California reverting to forest. And world temperatures cooled. In 1816 it snowed about a foot in New England. Crops failed, food prices rose, death rates increased: a little ice age.
Today, we talk about what we should do to prevent such disasters. To prevent global warming, we need to get the people of Central and South America to stop farming and let their forests return. We seek to prevent disease by increasing the usage of anti-bacterial substances ... and this simply increases the effectiveness of bacteria resistant to such substances. I can no more stop people from using anti-bacterial soaps than I can affect the farming practices of native peoples in central Brazil. I have strong beliefs about what is right and wrong for me, for my country, for my world, but it is other people who decide. My fate rests on the collective decisions of those with whom I share this country, this earth.
Or does it? Paul says this in Romans 8:28: “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” This is assurance that, in all things, it is God working out His purpose. God is my refuge and my strength: He will be there to support me in the tumult of life as His purpose unfolds.
Prayer: I wait for You, Lord, in silence. You alone are my hope, my strength, my refuge. Guide my feet, my heart, my hands in your service that all people may come to know and take refuge in You. Amen.
Charlotte Fischer
powered by phplist v 2.10.8, © tincan ltd
No comments:
Post a Comment