Under his wings

Margaret Whittaker

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord : “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God , in whom I trust”.
Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.

Psalm 91

 We are now living through our second Lent, under the shadow of many deaths, in isolation and lockdown and each one of us has worries and griefs and fear to deal with. At the same time we are powerless to help all the exhausted hospital staff fighting for us at the front line of the battle.

The whole world is suffering together with us and we know we are collectively guilty of the damage done to our planet and to ourselves in relatively recent times.

 This Lent we have more than ever the need to repent and pray for help to change the future. It is a tremendous challenge to face the changes we must make to heal ourselves and our beloved home.

 Our Lord is calling us to be vigilant and faithful in whatever ways we can; in prayer, in quiet witness, in acts of love for each other, in letting Him nudge us along the right path.

 I look for comfort in the psalms especially Psalm 91, and in the gospel assurances that He is with us always, that He won’t leave us comfortless.

 I look too for examples like St Peter, the simple working class man, who weeping and ashamed after his betrayal of Jesus, built on his repentance to complete the seemingly impossible result of becoming the leader of a movement which in his own life-time had spread across the then known world.

 Or to St Paul the clever and arrogant academic who after his conversion faithfully endured years of mistrust and hatred until he was accepted to be the apostle to us, the gentiles.  Reading Acts shows what God can do and achieve with unlikely material like us!

 And I also look for joy and togetherness by playing on YouTube the Song and Dancing Prayer Jerusalema, which is sung in the Zulu language and danced around the world. It is translated as, ‘Jerusalem my home, Guard me, Walk with me, Do not leave me here.’

 This Lent I pray, for faith and trust, endurance and help.