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A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Dr Krish Kandiah

Good morning.

The last time I was in lock down was thirty years ago when the country I was living in suddenly became a war zone. Machine guns were being fired in the street outside of our home causing my wife and I to shelter at night under our kitchen table. It was in those dark and traumatic moments that we met God. Praying through the words of Psalm 46 our spirits were sustained:

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.

A wooden table was very little protection from Kalashnikov bullets – ultimately our safety was in the hands of God. The security that God offered us on the other hand could withstand mountain-shaking earthquakes, tsunami-force waves, even suffocating global pandemics. His ever-present help in trouble promised to outlive life and death.

I find the imagery in this ancient song incredibly helpful. Even if the mountainous geographical or political contours of our planet shift, even if the solid ground beneath our feet gives way, even if we are overwhelmed by roaring waves of uncertainty, there is still a place we can run to. God’s refuge is reliable and resilient.

These ageless words calmed our spirits and strengthened our hearts thirty years ago. My prayer is that they do the same for you today.

Thank you Heavenly Father for your unshakable refuge.
We particularly pray for those who are living in insecure contexts – the homeless, the ill, the refugees and the elderly.
Thank you that you can be relied upon whatever we are facing right now.

Amen

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