A Reading from Psalm 56
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
for my enemies are hounding me; *
all day long they assault and oppress me.
2 They hound me all the day long; *
truly there are many who fight against me, O Most High.
3 Whenever I am afraid, *
I will put my trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust and will not be afraid, *
for what can flesh do to me?
5 All day long they damage my cause; *
their only thought is to do me evil.
6 They band together; they lie in wait; *
they spy upon my footsteps;
because they seek my life.
7 Shall they escape despite their wickedness? *
O God, in your anger, cast down the peoples.
8 You have noted my lamentation;
put my tears into your bottle; *
are they not recorded in your book?
9 Whenever I call upon you, my enemies will be put to flight; *
this I know, for God is on my side.
10 In God the LORD, whose word I praise,
in God I trust and will not be afraid, *
for what can mortals do to me?
11 I am bound by the vow I made to you, O God; *
I will present to you thank-offerings;
12 For you have rescued my soul from death and my feet
from stumbling, *
that I may walk before God in the light of the living.
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Meditation
Whenever I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.
Fear can be a paralyzing emotion in our lives. The psalmist’s words are often easier said than done, but the decision to trust God when outcomes are not known but look bleak is worth the discipline and energy it takes. This is the feast day of Julian of Norwich, a fourteenth century English mystic who agrees. In her writings known as Revelations of Divine Love, the first known work of a woman in the English language, she pens: “He said not, ‘Thou shalt not be tempested, thou shalt not be travailed, thou shalt not be dis-eased’; but he said, ‘Thou shalt not be overcome.’”
Today, regardless of what is going on in our lives, especially if we are fearful of the future, we make a decision to put our trust in God. The psalmist who undoubtedly fueled Dame Julian’s faith agrees: With God’s protection, we shall not be overcome. Believe it. Trust it. We shall not be overcome.
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Michael G. Smith served as bishop of North Dakota for 15 years and is currently assists in the dioceses of Dallas and Albany. He is a Benedictine Oblate and an enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. Ten wonderful grandchildren call him “Papa Mike.”
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Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:
The Diocese of Spokane
The Diocese of Pennsylvania
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