Thought for the day – Monday 29th June 2020
Continuing my reflections on the significance of words, I thought you might appreciate something a little lighter than my last one. Maybe a little touch of humour, rather than holding on to the profound?
Bible reading – Psalm 46.
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way, and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolation’s he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire. He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress
What a powerful song of confidence for difficult times. Can we echo the psalmists faith as he declares that, in God, he can find the safety and powerful assurance to protect him from the troubles surrounding him? Despite all the turmoil, there is peace to be found in the flowing water bringing refreshment at the heart of the place where God himself is to be found. No matter what threats and powers rage against us, we can find comfort in God, and it is with his authority that the enemy raged against us will be defeated, the weapons destroyed. Out of all the anxiety, fear and menace surrounding us, we are called to take a moment to calm our thoughts, be still and let the love and peace of God flow over us.
God doesn’t ask us to take that moment, he commands. Be still! Know – don’t question, don’t waver, but KNOW – that I AM God. Whatever rages around you, be confident that I your God and Salvation have the authority to rise above all those forces against you, and to be supreme.
Faced with this promise, how can we fear the challenging situation in which we find ourselves? God’s promise and commitment to us is clear. God IS with us. He IS our refuge – the place in which we find calm amidst the storm.
What a promise and how powerful is that assurance in the simple poetry of a Psalm?
So, in what way does this my reflection offer the lighter touch I promised? Where is the humour to be found in something as on-target as this to meet our need for succour amidst this current pandemic? And didn’t I also promise that this series was all about the significance of words, rather than exegesis of a passage?
Perhaps, in reflecting on the deeper meaning, you missed the William Shakespeare moment of fun!
If you read this psalm in the King James Version, you will find that the 46th word is “Shake”, and then count 46 words back from the end to discover “Spear”. The 46th psalm almost certainly translated in the year when William was – you guessed it – 46!
Thus proving that it is OK to play, have fun and enjoy a living faith knowing that words alone can put a smile on your face, even in dark times. I’ll send you the Bill later.