Читать книгу Reflections on the Psalms - Steven Croft - Страница 27

Preserve me, O God, for in you have I taken refuge;I have said to the Lord, ‘You are my lord…’

‘In the night watches he instructs my heart’ (v.6)

It can be lonely in the night watches. That is the time when the mind starts to list all the things that should have been done but have not. It is the time when problems churn around the head. You put the light on, make a list, try to get back to sleep, get up, make a cup of tea …

It seems the psalmist has an even bigger worry. We know the human fate is to die. But will that be the end of us? Will we simply disappear into nothingness, the ‘Pit’ of Old Testament thinking? In the dark of the night, our worst fears emerge. Are we putting our trust in the wrong place? The psalmist sees the attractions of ‘idols’, other objects of worship, but turns away from them. Our deepest fears can be faced only with the aid of God himself: ‘in the night watches he instructs my heart’ (v.6).

So what does the heart then know? That God is there for those who seek refuge in him. That we have a ‘goodly heritage’, the long story of our faith, the example of those who have gone before us. That in God may be found life and joy, which never fails for all eternity. When we are most afraid, the psalmist gives us the words to express our trust in this God, the only power in the universe that can save us.

Reflection by Gillian Cooper

Refrain:

The Lord is at my right hand; I shall not fall.

Prayer:

Give to us, Lord Christ,

the fullness of grace,

your presence and your very self,

for you are our portion and our delight,

now and for ever.