Do Not FearExemplo
Facing Death, Darkness, and Despair
God of Peace, I offer You my worries, I bring You my brokenness, and I surrender my striving. As I rest in Your presence, I receive Your peace.
I pause and pray...
Today, I am reflecting on the words of a psalmist who was not afraid to face the darkness of death, and to sit with the reality of sorrow, without feeling the need to lighten the tone and bring a superficial resolution to his pain.
(Read: Psalm 88:1-5, 15, 18)
Few families have escaped the COVID pandemic entirely untouched by grief. Beloved grandparents passed away alone in care homes. Fathers died before their time; mothers still suffer from long-term effects of the disease.
Today’s psalm is a lament to heal my troubled soul. If I am to experience the joy of Easter Sunday, I must first stand at the foot of the cross and wait in the darkness of Holy Saturday. I cannot avoid sorrow and grief, for it comes to everyone who loves.
What sorrow or grief am I carrying? Is there sadness or trauma which I have not processed?
I pause and pray...
I think of someone I know who has lost a loved one recently.
Lord, would You bring healing to their wounded heart? Be to them "a very present help in trouble."
I pause and pray...
Trouble rarely comes at a convenient time. When crises arrive, bringing grief and pain, they are often overwhelming, just as they were for this psalmist. From this, I take comfort.
I pause and pray...
Lord, I yield myself to the darkness of unknowing. Help me to let go of my need to always understand everything and see my path clearly before I put my whole trust in You. Amen.
Sobre este plano
We live in an anxious age. It’s easy to worry about our family and friends, our health, and our finances. In an age where war and conflict seem closer than ever, what does it mean to live without anxiety or fear? How can we bring our worries to God?
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