Psalm Meditation 1318 ¶Proper 20 ¶September 21, 2025 ¶Psalm 31 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%2031&version=NRSVUE ¶In times of trial and uncertainty we seek out a person or place of refuge. We lean in to the comfort that comes from feeling safe, if only for a moment. I imagine that most of those reading these words turn to the God of the Bible for that sense of refuge. In the comfort of God’s presence we find the time and space to reflect on how God is working in the world, as well as how we can be co-laborers in that work. Knowing that God is with us, leading and guiding us, we find the wherewithal to move courageously into the world as people of God. ¶With the assurance of the rock solid presence of God in our lives, we can face the uncertainty of the world around us, and within us. I am convinced that the opposite of faith is certainty, rather than doubt. When we are certain, we have no need for faith. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) The presence of God in our lives is to give us the strength and courage to move ahead without certainty, believing that whether we succeed or fail in our tasks, we are held in the steadfast love of God. ¶After the psalmist pledges to seek refuge in YHWH, there follows a recital of reasons that God will offer that place of peace. Some of the reasons are because the psalmist is seeking to be a person of God. Most of the reasons are because God has a long history of grace, goodness, trustworthiness, and steadfast love directed toward those who seek to follow the way of God and beyond. ¶September 15, 2025 ¶LCM