Faith in Times of Crisis

Psalm 117 New International Version (NIV) 1 Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. 2 For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord.

Romans 15:5 New International Version (NIV) May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had.

Meditation. By Dr J P Hunter

This week a message to endure, not to give up and to be encouraged, coming from the shortest Psalm in the Bible combined with the words from Paul in his letter to Christians in Rome and believers everywhere, as he describes to us where endurance and encouragement come from.

In verse 1 of Psalm 117, the anonymous author urges us to praise and to extol (admire, worship) God. Not only us, but all nations, all peoples. In verse 2 he gives the reasons why to do so: for God’s great love and faithfulness enduring towards us forever.

One of the characteristics of God’s love is that it endures. God is the originator of endurance. He gave his Son Jesus an enduring Spirit so he could endure his trials on earth. For daily renewal, Jesus at the start of a new day went to a place alone and prayed to His Father, so he could endure. 

When we as God’s children, in our pandemic times of trial, run short of endurance or are in need of encouragement, we should do likewise and turn to Him. For He, as Paul in Romans confirms, makes endurance and encouragement available. Not only turning to Him in times of highest need but daily to remain close to Him as our relationship with Him gets stronger. Thereafter to trust God, through his Son, to give us strength to endure even the small trials we daily may face. Then we too will endure.

Prayer

Lord in highest Heaven, first of all I want to praise and worship you for your enduring love and faithfulness towards all nations and all peoples and amazingly, also towards also me. I come to seek your presence as a vulnerable child in times of trial, in times of need. You are a mighty fortress and you never fail even though your children down below here may struggle and fail. I come to ask you for strength and endurance to continue, for you alone can see the way ahead, you alone know the path laid out for our world, for our land and also for me. May I stay close to you and daily return, to rely on you for strength for this day and courage for tomorrow? That I will not fail but will endure and live in hope until this time of trial will have passed. In your name, Amen

Hymn – A mighty fortress – Martin Luther

1 A mighty fortress is our God,

a bulwark never failing;

our helper he, amid the flood

of mortal ills prevailing.

For still our ancient foe

does seek to work us woe;

his craft and power are great,

and armed with cruel hate,

on earth is not his equal.

2 Did we in our own strength confide,

our striving would be losing,

were not the right Man on our side,

the Man of God's own choosing.

You ask who that may be?

Christ Jesus, it is he;

Lord Sabaoth his name,

from age to age the same;

and he must win the battle.