The One Thing We Can Do

When I am afraid,

I put my trust in You.

In God whose Word I praise,

       in God I trust.

I shall not be afraid.

What can flesh do to me?

          Psalm 56. 3-4, 10-11

(A phrase repeated in Scripture

   is like underlining it in

   permanent marker

      with a series of !!!!!!!

Pay attention to this.

It does not say if I am afraid,

     but when fear grabs me.

At some point,

    the scary stuff paralyses us all.

God does not say,

   hide and let it pass over,

nor pretend there is

      nothing to be afraid of,

           but trust Me in this.

Don't just sit there,

   but push back .

In God I Trust is neither a mantra,

    wishful thinking,

    a magical incantation,

or a nightlight

      when the house creaks.

But a way of

   singing louder than the despair,

not to make the boogie man go away,

but to grasp the reality

          of His unforgettable Presence.

Trusting God means singing

         a new song over it,

new lyrics,

and a psalm of ascent.

Fear is a reality

           in this broken world.

But God is stronger still.

Learning to trust Him

  in the everydays,

prepares us for the hard stuff.

When I am afraid?

         First response:

    I put my trust in You.)

O LORD,

Even in what we don't understand,

even when we are overwhelmed,

even when we are over our heads,

even when it is way too scary,

  the one thing we can do

           is trust You.

You hear our cries.

You are already here.

           Present tense.

May we trust You in this too.