Psalm 145 v 18
The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth
When Paul was seven years old his grandfather was caretaker of a wooded estate. One Autumn evening he took his toy gun, called for his dog Pal, and headed down a path into the woods. Soon, though, it began to get dark and he panicked. “Grandpa!” he shouted.
“I’m right here,” he said calmly, only a few yards away. He had seen his grandson go into the woods and had followed him to make sure he was okay. Talk about being relieved!
As followers of Christ, we sometimes venture into unfamiliar territory. We try new things. We take on responsibilities in the work of the Lord that are bigger than we’ve ever attempted before. It can get pretty scary.
But wherever we go, God is there. His pledge to be near is backed up by His omnipresence. His promise to help us is backed up by His mighty power. He will hear the cries of those who fear Him.
When I was a child, my home was in a very rural area. No street lights, so we always had torches to light our way when we were out at night. One evening when I was about 5 or 6 we visited my grandmother. Her house was at the end of quite a long lane. As we started walking down this lane there appeared in front of us a set of green eyes. I remember this vividly and I was terrified. I refused to walk any further and in the end my uncle had to get his car and drive me and my sister to our house. My parents and two elder siblings walked and survived to tell the tale.
It was probably a fox out looking for food. At the time I didn’t realise that the poor animal was probably more scared than me.
May we remember that the dark fears flee in the light of God’s presence.