Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.”
NL Daily Devotion for Friday, February 23, 2024
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
I used to want to be rescued. I think it’s a pretty common thing. Issues would come up in my life—interpersonal, financial, health-related, etc.—and I would be so frustrated by the work I had to do to deal with everything that I just wanted someone to swoop in and fix the relationship, pay the bills, heal the chronic ailment, and so forth. People often look to other people to solve their problems, and it seldom works, because unfortunately, people are people, and therefore unreliable. Sooner or later, everyone fails us. Our dependence can’t be on others. It has to be on God.
This is not to say that God will swoop in and fix the relationship, pay the bills, or heal the chronic ailment. Instead, God will walk with me through these things and guide me to the next right action—those things I didn’t want to have to do myself. God will also guide me to those people who can help in an appropriate way—counselors, medical professionals, and a network of healthy friends and family who can support me without the expectation that they’re going to bail me out.
For God alone my soul waits in silence—for my hope is in God.
When have I wanted to be rescued from a difficult situation in my life? How did it turn out?
