Great Plains Daily Devotional for 3/11/2022

Psalm 27

The Lord is my light and my salvation.
        Should I fear anyone?
    The Lord is a fortress protecting my life.
        Should I be frightened of anything?
When evildoers come at me trying to eat me up—
    it’s they, my foes and my enemies,
    who stumble and fall!
If an army camps against me,
        my heart won’t be afraid.
    If war comes up against me,
        I will continue to trust in this:
    I have asked one thing from the Lord—
    it’s all I seek:
        to live in the Lord’s house all the days of my life,
        seeing the Lord’s beauty
        and constantly adoring his temple.
Because he will shelter me in his own dwelling
    during troubling times;
    he will hide me in a secret place in his own tent;
        he will set me up high, safe on a rock.

Now my head is higher than the enemies surrounding me,
    and I will offer sacrifices in God’s tent—
        sacrifices with shouts of joy!
    I will sing and praise the Lord.

Lord, listen to my voice when I cry out—
    have mercy on me and answer me!
Come, my heart says, seek God’s face.
    Lord, I do seek your face!
Please don’t hide it from me!
    Don’t push your servant aside angrily—
        you have been my help!
    God who saves me,
        don’t neglect me!
        Don’t leave me all alone!
Even if my father and mother left me all alone,
    the Lord would take me in.
Lord, teach me your way;
    because of my opponents, lead me on a good path.
Don’t give me over to the desires of my enemies,
    because false witnesses and violent accusers
    have taken their stand against me.
But I have sure faith
    that I will experience the Lord’s goodness
    in the land of the living!

Hope in the Lord!
    Be strong! Let your heart take courage!
        Hope in the Lord!

As I read through Psalm 27 several times over the last few days, each time I have more and more come to think of its words overlaying the images we’ve seen for two weeks now of war in Ukraine. What we see in those images are a people who are determined to overcome the aggression of a foreign power, crying out for help while staunchly defending their country, their freedom, their way of life. The Ukrainian people have become a symbol of endurance and hope for the world.
The psalm is attributed to David, one who knew war very well, with all its perils and fears. Yet David’s faith in God was such that he was able to proclaim his belief that God would protect him in all situations.

We all go through situations in our lives when it feels like we are embattled and that enemies invade and work to destroy whatever securities we have. Each person’s own battles are different than those of others, but each is a time of trial that can paralyze or empower us. When we go through those times we have a choice – one that isn’t always easy. We can hide ourselves away and become the victim of our fears. Or we can take a note from the psalmist and actively trust God to see us through the situation.

Many of Ukraine’s citizens are people of faith – Christians and Jews, as well as other faiths. It may, of course, simply be my projection on them, but as I watch the news coverage, I see people acting in faith to save their country, trusting God to see them through the perils of war and bring them to restoration – just as David did so long ago. And I wonder how many of us are ready to do the same in our own times of danger and discouragement.  
 

Prayer for Reflection

Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16
Romans 10:8b-13
Luke 4:1-13