I will trust in the Lord today, no matter what.  

Text:  “The Lord is my strength and shield; in him my heart trusts.”  Psalm 28:7a, NRSV 

Scripture Reading:  Psalm 28:6-9

Reflection:

Have you ever had one of those “Murphy’s Law” kind of days?  Yesterday was one of those days!  If you tuned in yesterday to our online worship experience, you know what I’m talking about.  In spite of our best efforts, the technology just wasn’t working very well!  We had interruptions of the streaming, strange text screens suddenly showing up, and more!  

As you probably know, Murphy’s Law states, “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”  Apparently this idea, according to a Wikipedia article,  may have first been stated by Alfred Holt, in 1877, in a report he presented at an engineering society meeting.  He said: 

It is found that anything that can go wrong at sea generally does go wrong sooner or later…

Yes, we all know the pathway of life can present us with some twists and turns, don’t we?  For example, we are moving ahead in a new position, and then the pandemic hits and we are without a job.  Or, we just had a great physical and were ready to go on a vacation, and now we find we have to protect ourselves from an insidious virus.  Or, a loved one is ill, and because of the need to social distance, we are not able to visit the hospital.  And so on.

Well, the truth is, this is just the way life is…unpredictable, vulnerable, and inconsistent.  Yet the good news today is that God is with us in these uncertain places, and God provides us strength and a place of refuge and shelter for the day…each day, as a matter of fact.  As the Psalmist affirms in Psalm 28: “The Lord is my strength and my shield, in God my heart trusts.”

So, I encourage you today to NOT be surprised when, even with your best efforts, things may still go wrong…And then to know that God is still with you in both the ups and downs, the mountain tops and valleys, always seeking to strengthen and empower you for full, hopeful, and abundant life.  Have a good day today!        

Prayer:

Gracious and loving God, our Eternal Rock, touch our spirits with a strong sense of your presence and love today.  If the road before us is tough or painful, help us to claim you as our strength and shield.  In that, O God, we will take hope.  Amen.  

 Focus for the Day:  I will trust in the Lord today, no matter what.  

Author:  Rev. Bob Livingston