Psalm Meditation 1192 ¶Third Sunday of Easter ¶April 23, 2023 ¶Psalm 46 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+46&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶There are times in which I am overwhelmed with fear for all that is going on around me. When that happens I am grateful for the folks who can calm me by their example of trust in God. When I am able to be that calming presence people tell me how glad they are that I was with them in their time of trial. Whether on the giving or receiving end it is good to know that someone can lead others to remember that God is a place of, to use the alternate translation, “refuge and strength, a well proved help in trouble.“ ¶Because we are human, with our foibles and frailties, we can’t always be the one to remain calm in crisis. We each have our fears that make us nearly useless in the face of them. It is good that God has made us in such a way that most of us enjoy the company of others. When one falters, another can buoy up the group until such time that it falls to another to be the one to hold us in the presence of God. We each in turn lead the way as we make our way ever closer to, “the holy habitation of the Most High.” ¶If I believe that I am the only one who can be in the lead, I am bound to fail, as is any one of us who believes the same thing. Sometimes the best gift we can give another is to admit our weakness and depend on the strength they may or may not know they have to lead us forward. While we may often need a loud and forceful person in the lead, the psalmist reminds us that just as often we need to, “Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations; I am exalted in the earth.” ¶April 17, 2023 ¶LCM