Dear Rose Park,
Yesterday morning I took my almost two-year-old daughter Winnie to the doctor. Winnie wasn’t feeling well, so just before 8AM we drove to Holland Pediatrics on the south side of Holland. We arrived early and were soon ushered back to our room. Unlike her brother Simon, Winnie doesn’t really like the doctors office. She got fussy and nervous when they had to check her eyes, ears, and throat. She got scared when she had to lay on the table with the crinkly paper. She even got teary-eyed when the doctor put the stethoscope on her back. When the nurse and doctor were finished with their exam Winnie looked at me, climbed into my lap and said, “Daddy keep me safe.”
Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord ‘you are my Lord; I have no good apart from you’…therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure. For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your faithful one see the Pit. You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16: 1-2, 11
Similar to Winnie’s cries for help and safety, David cries out to God for safety in Psalm 16. The same David who made plenty of mistakes humbly cries out to God for protection. If you notice, though Psalm 16 begins with fear and a plea for help it ends with confidence and trust. In other words, even though David is scared he is also confident that God can provide Him with the safety and security he desires because God has done it before. In a similar way, Winnie runs to me because I’ve kept her safe before so she trusts that she can run to me again.
I wonder if this changes the way we handle fear. Fear is a crippling emotion that can paralyze us or can cause us to act or speak foolishly. Perhaps the next time we are afraid, we might remember the trust we have in Jesus. Jesus has led us through the wilderness before, so certainly He can lead us through this next wilderness. Jesus saw me through relationship difficulties, so I know He’ll lead me through whatever comes next. Jesus stood by my side during the doctor’s visit, so I know He’ll remain at my side with the future treatment. Jesus was faithful when I felt the loneliest, so I know He won’t leave me in the days to come.
May each and every one of us be aware to God’s faithful presence so that we might have confidence for His faithfulness to endure.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Mark