The Lord is My Light and My Salvation

Dear St. John’s,

This morning (Jan. 21st) I read one forecast that warned this weekend may be the worst winter storm since 2018. I anticipate folks will ‘raid’ grocery stores and brace themselves for the potential snow-filled downpour.

It seems like nowadays there are more than enough reasons to be worried about one thing or another. Storms, the threat of war, political turmoil, the everyday stressors of life; they can all shake our peace of mind, until we are left in a constant state of anxiety.

In this week’s Psalm (27) the author writes, “The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?” The Psalm is attributed to David, whom we admire for his courage to confront the giant Goliath. However, this particular passage is most likely penned when David is on the run for his life from King Saul and other political rivals. In spite of all of these threats, David finds his strength in God.

This is a counter-intuitive approach in today’s world. We have self-help books, prescription meds, therapists, support groups, and a whole host of other options to choose from in order to get support. These are all helpful and maybe even necessary for folks to use in order to deal with life. Yet, along with all the aforementioned alternatives, as Christians we should also find time to spend with God in prayer, meditation/contemplation, and devotions.

Even as a priest I find it challenging to “fit” spending time with God into my busy schedule, but I am reminded of the need to, especially when I am anxious more than usual. Will spending time God erase all our fears and worries? Most likely, it will not. However, our faith looks towards One who transcends our struggles, worldly authorities, and even the weather. And with enough devotion, we just might find that some of our concerns were not as alarming as we anticipated.

In Christ,

Anthony+