Thought for Today
Genesis 9:15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.
Psalm 22:27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him
Luke 1:30 The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
John 6:20 But he said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."
“Do not be afraid!” One of the first phrases I learned in Greek was “μὴ φοβοῦ.” Before every test, our professor would say to us, “μὴ φοβοῦ.” “Do not be afraid!” Now, I remember those words whenever I encounter something frightening, disturbing or threatening. “Do not be afraid!” That phrase has become a sort of security blanket for me, shielding me from anything that “goes bump in the night.”
When our children were young, each had a security blanket. Our daughter also had a stuffed clown. Everywhere she went, the blanket and clown went with her. In more biblical terms, they became her shield and buckler, her armor against those things that go bump in the night.
What is your security blanket? You might want to ponder on that, to remember, as we go through the next several days. Where do you find your security in life? I cannot help but think that Mary, the mother of Jesus, as she stood with the other women watching Jesus on the cross, might have remembered those words of the angel, "Do not be afraid, Mary.” Mary faced every parent’s greatest fear as she watched her son on that cross. Yet, Mary had heard those words, “μὴ φοβοῦ.” “Do not be afraid!”
As I thought this morning about uncertainty, about the future and what might lie ahead, a song ran through my mind. It is a song I first heard here in New England. It is not a particularly new hymn, but I Know Who Holds Tomorrow has become one of my favorites. This morning, as I heard the newscasters already mention Smugglers Notch and its early voting, that hymn ran through my mind. “I don’t know about tomorrow, I just live from day to day; I don’t borrow from its sunshine, For its skies may turn to gray. I don’t worry o’er the future, For I know what Jesus said; And today I’ll walk beside Him, For He knows what is ahead.”.
I often think in terms of hymns as I face the uncertainties of life. As I listen to all the doom and gloom on the news, I remember Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley. For me, all of those favorite hymns from my childhood, from church camp, songs sung in the company of my family or around a campfire with a faith-family, provide comfort and reassurance. They help me remember the promises of our Creator God.
It hasn’t rained here in the Merrimack Valley in quite a while. But, I do remember, somewhere in the long-ago, seeing a rainbow. When I do see rainbows, I remember God’s covenant with Noah.
I suspect that when I was young, I too may well have had a security blanket. Or, maybe I had a favorite stuffed animal or character. Somewhere around the house, I still have what my mother claimed was my favorite book to hear her read to me at bedtime. It is a bit tattered; the dust cover is torn and worn. Mother kept that book long after I had learned to read for myself. But, for mother and for me, that book was a security blanket.
I have lots of security blankets in my life. When I struggle with a scripture and need help in understanding it, I still have the presentation Bible given me many years ago. The pages are a bit worn. Passages are highlighted and/or underlined. There are notes in the margins. There are newer translations. But I find comfort in that first edition Revised Standard Version.
What is your security blanket? Where do you find your security in life? Where do you seek refuge from those things that go bump in the night? The psalmist wrote, “7:10 God is my shield, who saves the upright in heart.” and “91:1 You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, 2 will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust." 3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence; 4 he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.” God holds tomorrow in God’s hands.
Stay safe, be upright in heart, trust God,
Pastor Ray