Watching mystery/action movies on TV is a favorite thing. You may not be familiar with that category. But you probably have noticed action movies today are really fast-paced, making it difficult for people of a certain age to follow the plot. At the end, I’m still sorting through events, trying to figure out what happened. It’s a mystery.

Living this moment on planet earth is like starting one of those movies in the middle. Nothing makes sense. Nothing seems right. What did we miss? What’s the point of all this pandemonium?

We feel unsettled…uncertain…uneasy. What will tomorrow bring?

We’ve never known what tomorrow would bring. Looking back, I’m glad I didn’t know the path God had laid out for me. There have been glorious surprises—and unexpected detours. Had I known where the next step would lead, I would have balked. “Bring on the heartbreak” said no one ever.

I’m a picnic-in-the-sunshine person. No thunderstorms, please. But scattered storms are an inevitable fact of this life on planet earth. And for what purpose? If only we had an answer. We sort through events, trying to figure out what’s happening and why. It’s a mystery. And it drains our stamina and our hope.

In that place I need to be reminded that God is in control and I can count on him. So I’ve been skimming through the Psalms, feasting on truth that has fed and nourished me all along my crooked path.

I need to be reminded that God is in control and I can count on him. So I’ve been skimming through the Psalms, feasting on truth that has fed and nourished me all along my crooked path. Click To Tweet

Please taste a few morsels for yourself.

“The Lord is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1).

“For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock” (Psalm 27:5).

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him” (Psalm 28:7).

“Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee” (Psalm 33:22).

“I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears…O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in  him” (Psalm 34:2-4, 89).

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Thou he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and now am old, yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread” (Psalm 37:23-25).

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; …The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge” (Psalm 46:1-2, 11).).

“Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me. He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth” (Psalm 57:1-3).

“Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved” (62:1-2).

“I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore” (Psalm 86:12).

“I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations” (Psalm 89:1).

“I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations” (Psalm 89:1). Click To Tweet

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and rom the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid…” (Psalm 91:1-5a).

“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High” (Psalm 92:1).

“The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the word also is stablished, that it cannot be moved. Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting” (Psalm 93:1-2).

“O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker” (Psalm 95:1-6).

I hope the nourishment of God’s truth renewed your stamina. Please tell what you’re struggling with during this difficult time. And I’d appreciate your sharing this with your friends.

© Dianne Barker 2020