But I trust in you, Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in your hands;
(Psalm 31:14-15a NIV)
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
When I was on prison ministry staff with First Baptist Dallas, I commuted from Greenville, Texas, into downtown Dallas–60 miles each way. Although this was from 2005-2008, the Dallas freeways were still a challenging drive.
Let’s say the drive did wonders for my prayer life.
I knew that in a fraction of a second, my life could end on Interstate 30. All it would take would be one fatal mistake by me or someone else. The more I made that drive, the more the words of Psalm 31:14-15 became my prayer. “I trust in you, Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hands;”
Those verses have come back to me in recent days, but in an expanded way. And that leads me to the two prayer requests I want to share with you today–two things I’m asking God for during this crisis.
I am asking him to help me let go. To help me remember that not only are my times in his hands, so are the times of those I love and care about. Their times are in God’s hands, too. And just as I learned to trust Him with my safety, I must trust him with theirs also.
That, of course, is no guarantee that they (or I) will be kept safe in this anymore than my highway prayer was a guarantee I wouldn’t die in an accident on the interstate.
It is, rather, an expression of trust in God’s goodness and providence, no matter what happens. A desire to cling to him in the storm while letting go of that which I cannot control.
My second request comes from another psalm:
Show me your ways, Lord,
teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old. (Psalm 25:4-6 NIV)
The longer this crisis continues, the more I see it as a call to turn my heart toward him, to allow the difficulties that come with this pandemic to be his teaching tool to help shape me into the image of Jesus Christ.
So, two prayers I am praying in this pandemic are:
- Help me to let go and trust you. (Ps 31)
- Teach me your ways and don’t let me pass through this unchanged. (Ps 25)
Until next week, stay safe and stay healthy.
Jim