Perseverance

Psalm 55 • Psalm 138, 139:1-17(18-23)
Isa. 10:20-27 • Jude 17-25 • Luke 3:1-9

Today’s morning psalm at first gave me the impression of being very dark, and almost a cry for help to God. As I continued reading, I began to see it more in a light of perseverance with God’s help. With all that is going on right now, I prefer to read it in the more optimistic way anyhow. Phrases such as, “I call to God, and the Lord saves me,” and “He rescues me unharmed,” ultimately show that God is with us always. He saves and rescues us even when we don’t exactly feel as though we are being saved and rescued.

I found verse 6, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest,” to be especially interesting. If you are like me, I have a tendency to zone out and daydream to offer myself an escape, especially when I am in a time of heightened stress and anxiety. Obviously, due to the pandemic as well as other constraints, many of us cannot literally escape where we are presently. However, I encourage others, and need encouraging myself, to try and find escape with prayer, or even simply within yourself.

I cannot speak for anyone else; however, my escape lately has come in the form of cleaning my home, writing these reflections every few weeks, and hanging out on the couch with my cat. Although nontraditional, I do believe that these things, including every other thing we do throughout the day, are opportunities for prayer. We pray and serve God by serving ourselves, others, and the world around us.

Written by Tel Johnson

Tel grew up attending St. Paul’s. She currently lives in Little Rock with her cat, Hershel, and works at Arkansas Children’s Hospital.