PRAYING THE PSALMS - Psalm 91
Glenna Manning
March 19, 2020
It is hard to believe that it has only been three months since we first learned of a new virus, now called COVID-19, beginning to take its toll in what seemed like a far-off place of Wuhan, China. We heard of it, prayed for those being affected by it and went about our normal daily routine. Now three months later it is closer to home and a part of seemingly every conversation. It is the bulk of our daily news coverage and has trickled down to effect even our most routine tasks such as going to work, school, and the grocery store.  

The virus is also impacting our life events as cancelling or postponing wedding plans and commencement services, limiting the attending of services for our beloved deceased and taking away our ability to actively participate in holy gatherings in the walls of the church. I enter familiar spaces that now feel foreign, such as grocery stores that no longer abound with supplies, restaurants where patrons only “carry out” food instead of dining in, and view empty parking lots of once vibrant places. When I go into the church now, it is too dark, too silent, and far too lonely. Churches are meant to thrive with people and the echoes of the emptiness makes my heart ache. 

As I share these feelings, I know I am not alone. In my conversations with many over these last days of working from home, I hear the same comments. Some come from e-mails, others from text or through using technology to interact digitally face to face. I hear words such as "disoriented, disconnected, discouraged, and unsettled" as people try to explain the shadow that now seems to follow their lives. Anxiety flows forth as we often share concerns not so much for ourselves but for our friends, our loved ones, our country and its people and our world and all people. It reminds us of just how connected we are; and in our basic humanity, we learn we are so much more alike than we are different.  

So how is it that we walk through the shadows of seeming darkness – for that is what the unknown always feels like. It is as if we are walking into a cave, and the further in we go, the darker it seems and we wonder where the opening is on the other side, when will we get there, and in what shape will we be when we arrive.  

The advice we are receiving is to “shelter in place” and I wonder if such a phrase sounds more familiar to us than we may first think.  

You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
  who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, 
 will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress;
  my God, in whom I trust.” (Psalm 91:1-2) 

Some scholars believe this Psalm was penned by Moses upon completion of the building of the tabernacle in the desert after escaping with the Israelites from Egypt. A time of considerable confusion for the people, a time away from their routine and what was known to them. This time would become a great time of connection with God. It would be a time of establishing their trust in God and to cast all their anxiety upon Him. It speaks of the trouble the people would or have faced, and his assurance that through it all he will be with his people through trouble.  

These are “old” words but how beautifully true they still ring for us today. In this time as we think about darkness and shadows, may we now see them as a place of shelter for God IS watching over us. May we “shelter in place” under God and thereby with God, and may we once again hear his promises found at the end of this beloved Psalm: 

For he will command his angels concerning you
  to guard you in all your ways.
On their hands they will bear you up,
  so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the adder,
  the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
Those who love me, I will deliver;
  I will protect those who know my name.
When they call to me, I will answer them;
  I will be with them in trouble,
  I will rescue them and honor them.
With long life I will satisfy them,
  and show them my salvation. (Psalm 91:11-16)

Prayer: Lord God Almighty, you are indeed our refuge and our fortress in whom we trust. May days of darkness and uncertainty not shake our trust that you will continue to be with us and you will bear us up. May we use this time to shelter with you, listening for your voice, and feeling your presence and be assured of your love for us. Amen. 
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