8 Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations he has brought on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire.
Psalm 46: 8-9
In verses 8 and 9 of Psalm 46 we are invited to look at what God is doing in the earth. How many of us in the last few weeks have wondered what is happening in the earth?
Where has this virus come from? Why has this dreaded illness come upon so many throughout the earth? Why do we have to live in fear of doing the simple things we once loved – such as going to the supermarket or having coffee in a café with a friend? Why have so many people’s lives been torn apart in such a variety of ways? We have asked these questions and many more.
None of us have the answers to any of these questions but what we can tell from the questions is that we feel that we are entitled to live a life of peace and tranquillity, a life safe from harm, the life we had a few weeks ago. We hope that our lives will return to normal soon. But perhaps we will have to get used to a new normal, a life where social distancing is always with us. Can we cope with that?
We can if we know the one who is in charge of the whole earth and Psalm 46 makes it very clear who that is. God is the one in charge. We may think that we are in control but in reality he is; he is always the one who ‘makes wars cease’ and brings peace (verse 9). Therefore, in the midst of our frustration let us learn to trust that God knows what is happening even when we do not. Let us trust that if we give him free reign in our lives he will enable us to cope with whatever challenges life throws at us – now and in the future.
Prayer Heavenly Father, we praise you for being in control of our whole earth. You know us better than we know ourselves and you know all our fears. You know all the questions that we seek answers for. Thank you that because you are ever-present, especially in times of trouble, we can hand those fears and questions over to you trusting that you will sort them out. Teach us to trust you to be in control even in the midst of turmoil. Amen.