Good morning! I hope this day finds you and your family well, and I want you to know that you are in my prayers daily during this difficult time.
I invite you to take a few moments with me to reflect on today’s Upper Room Devotional below — as well as on the theology woven into “It is well with my soul.”
Special thanks to Peggy Graff and her guests for providing this uplifting and inspiring addition to us in her Dog Days Duets series. I pray that these weekly selections will uplift your spirits and feed your soul as much as it does mine.
Today’s Scripture:
Psalm 3
Trust in God under Adversity
A Psalm of David, when he fled from his son Absalom.
1 O Lord, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying to me,
“There is no help for you[a] in God.”Selah
3 But you, O Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.
4 I cry aloud to the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy hill.Selah
5 I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, for the Lord sustains me.
6 I am not afraid of ten thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.
7 Rise up, O Lord!
Deliver me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.
8 Deliverance belongs to the Lord;
may your blessing be on your people!Selah
But you, O Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.
Tim’s Devotional Reflection for Today
In these difficult and uncertain times, this Psalm of David reminds us of the trustworthiness of God and that God sustains us in our need—whatever comes our way. “I cry aloud to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy hill. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the Lord sustains me.” (Psalm 3:4-5) At the heart of it is trust. It is trusting that no matter what, God is with us. No matter what.
One of my favorite professors in college was Dr. Web Pomeroy, the Chair of the Religion Department at Centenary College. I attended his funeral years ago after he died from a rare blood disorder. I’ll never forget the moment when they played an audio recording of a TV interview he gave after his diagnosis that captured his faith—his trust in God. He told the interviewer that after his diagnosis they sent a chaplain up to see him. The chaplain offered to pray for him. His response was something like this:
Wait. Before you pray, I want to tell you two things. First, there is a little child one floor below me that is being fitted today with braces that will help him walk. If you’re going to pray for someone, pray for that child
Second, let me tell you a story. From the time I was a small boy, my father took me fishing. I don’t remember ever saying to him, “Daddy, please don’t throw me out of the boat.” I never said to him, “Daddy, if I fall out of the boat, will you save me?” I knew that no matter what happened, it would be okay because he was with me. Now, you can go ahead and pray.
That is trust.
Thank you for sharing this early moment of your day with me, with God, and with the words and music that I hope you will carry with you throughout the coming day and night.
I am so grateful for you, for our church, and for the Love that will see us all through this very difficult time. Please stay safe and well and we’ll be together again in spirit tomorrow morning!
Grace and Peace,
Dr. Tim Bruster
Senior Pastor
