God’s help is only a whisper away

April 2/Fourth Tuesday of Lent

God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress. Therefore we fear not, though the earth be shaken and mountains plunge into the depths of the sea.

~ Ps 46:2-3

Keeping one’s equilibrium amid the boil and churn of modern life can be a challenge. There is the quick-paced, even frenetic tempo we keep each day, as we rush from meeting to school pick-up to emails to another meeting to household chores to soccer games to doctors’ appointments to dinner. There are the roiling waters of our civic discourse, where the provocations of cable news and Twitter feeds inflame us to speak our piece and make our points. (This can get scary, as anyone who’s ever been trolled or otherwise persecuted online can attest, and it is debatable whether it contributes to the overall sum of good in the world.) Engagement with the world, when productive, is important, and all of us are called to “brighten the corner” where we are. But sometimes, we need a protected, quiet, safe place in which to recollect ourselves, to gather up the pieces of our lives that have been fragmented by too many demands and commitments and obligations.

Our refuge and strength is right at hand, of course, and his name is God. As we feel ourselves buffeted by the shaking and plunging of the world around us, let us take a pause for renewal in the strength and grace of God by spending a few quiet moments in prayer, by attending a church or prayer service or by simply calling God’s name and asking for his help, which is only a whisper away. As the great Carmelite nun and spiritual writer Saint Teresa of Ávila admonished her nuns, “Nor is there any need to shout. However softly we speak, He is near enough to hear us.” There is nothing to fear where God is.

Unshakable and steadfast God, may I seek and find safety in your loving embrace today, tomorrow and always. Amen.

For today’s readings, click here.

To hear (what else?) “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” as sung by the King’s Choir College, Cambridge, click here.