March 17/Fourth Tuesday of Lent
There is a river whose streams gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High.
God is in its midst, it shall not be disturbed; God will help it at the break of dawn. ~ Ps 46.5-6
Peace is a scarce commodity in our lives, especially now. Economic instability, political upheaval, religious turmoil, wars in Europe and the Middle East, natural disasters (or all of the above) — the world’s tumult at times threatens to engulf us. In our personal lives, whether it is the frenetic daily pace we keep, the discord we experience in our relationships, the anxiety we feel about the future, serenity is elusive. Where is that peace that passes understanding, we wonder, and how do we find it? The calm we seek lies in God, of course. In his opening assurances that God will steady us, the psalmist of Psalm 46 assembles a chain of sturdy nouns to make his point: God is our refuge, our strength, “a very present help in trouble.” We need to grasp that anchor and seek that haven whenever the seas churn and boil (or, as the Hebrew conveys through a powerful verbal onomatopoeia, yehemu and yechmeru). Turmoil, disruption, chaos surround the psalmist — then suddenly, abruptly, comfortingly, peace breaks in. “There is a river,” he intones calmly, leaving the roar of the waves behind, “whose streams gladden the city of God.” God is present in this city, in its very heart, protecting and stabilizing it as threats loom both within and without. In our lives, too, calm may descend upon the tumult, and no matter what may be going down in earthly cities, in the city of God the dawn comes bright and safe. Wherever God is – in the holy dwelling of the Most High, as the psalm has it, or in our hearts and minds – the river of his love brings peace to a churning, boiling world.
O God our Anchor, Be in our midst, we pray, and quiet the world’s tumult. Amen.
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031726.cfm
To hear the SouthWestern Adventist University Festival Choir sing “God Is Our Hope and Strength,” by Philip Stopford, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaWsyXI-BwI&list=RDLaWsyXI-BwI&start_radio=1
