Psalm-light for the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost, 2021

Psalm 138

“Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
    you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies;
you stretch out your hand,
     and your right hand delivers me.”
(Psalm 138:7)

As you might remember from my last Psalm-light reflection, my husband and I are in St Vincent and have just experienced an explosive eruption of our La Soufriere volcano. I am happy to report that by the grace of God, conditions are a lot different today. If you were to visit the southern part of our beautiful island now and you didn’t know that there had been an explosive volcanic eruption, you wouldn’t be able to tell that we have been through a time of uncertainty and at times, fear. The ash that had covered everything has gone completely, power has been restored  and water flows through our taps in abundance again. Many people have returned home from the shelters and have begun the process of cleaning up, repairing and rebuilding their lives. However, conditions are still not good in the northern part of the island (the red zone) where houses, crops, vegetation and animals have been completely destroyed  and everything is covered with ash – there is still no power or water and people are not allowed to go there. The residents of these places are still in shelters and will be there for a long time. It will take a massive rebuilding effort to get the areas livable again. We thank you for your prayers and your support through this time and give God thanks for his mercy especially as no lives were lost.

As I read this psalm - Psalm 138 – a song of praise and thanksgiving - I was reminded that we should give thanks and praise to God in all circumstances. In verse 7, the psalmist expresses his faith and trust in a God who is with us in the midst of trouble, who preserves us, who stretches out his hand and delivers. To quote the words of Psalm 46 verse 2, “We will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea”. When trouble comes our way, it is our faith and trust in a loving God that will get us through it. When everything around us seems hopeless, there is always hope for those of us who believe because Jesus has promised to be with us always. He never said we would not have suffering in this world but we do not have to go through it alone. He has given us his Holy Spirit to be with us to comfort us and to guide us. His grace and mercy are renewed to us every morning.  Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift.

Walking in the light:
As we prepare to celebrate the Eucharist this week, even if it is virtual, let us think about the times in our lives when we have felt lost and alone, when trouble was all around us and the way ahead seemed dark. Try to remember how our faith and trust in our awesome God brought us out of the darkness into his marvelous light, giving us strength and courage to go on and let us give God thanks for his constant love and mercy.

Submitted by the Reverend Deacon Verbina Gonsalves