Psalm 116: 1 I love the Lord, because he hears me; he listens to my prayers. 2 He listens to me every time I call to him. 3 The danger of death was all around me; the horrors of the grave closed in on me; I was filled with fear and anxiety. 4 Then I called to the Lord, "I beg you, Lord, save me!" 5 The Lord is merciful and good; our God is compassionate. 6 The Lord protects the helpless; when I was in danger, he saved me. 7 Be confident, my heart, because the Lord has been good to me. 8 The Lord saved me from death; he stopped my tears and kept me from defeat. 9 And so I walk in the presence of the Lord in the world of the living.
10 I kept on believing, even when I said, "I am completely crushed," 11 even when I was afraid and said, "No one can be trusted." 12 What can I offer the Lord for all his goodness to me? 13 I will bring a wine offering to the Lord, to thank him for saving me. 14 In the assembly of all his people I will give him what I have promised. 15 How painful it is to the Lord when one of his people dies! 16 I am your servant, Lord; I serve you just as my mother did. You have saved me from death. 17 I will give you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and offer my prayer to you. 18 In the assembly of all your people, in the sanctuary of your Temple in Jerusalem, I will give you what I have promised. Praise the Lord!
I’ve been reading The Hobbit a little bit everyday, and I am amazed at how much it is mirroring my life at this point. I feel like Bilbo on an impossible-seeming quest with the dwarves. We have journeyed through most of dark, stuffy Mirkwood for what feels like an eternity, and it appears that the woods go on forever. Spirits are low, and our food and water has run out. The only source of food we see disappears along with the torch and firelight every time we try to join the banquet. We have become scattered in total darkness in the hostile wood and are completely separated from one another with no hope of ever finding our way out. Faint with hunger and about to perish, I lie down for the night one last time. And awake in the morning to find a great spider trying to eat me for breakfast...
I speak allegorically of course. I have never been through such trying times as these in all my life, not for this long a period. Of this season there seems no end. I am quite miserable, and I long for my far-distant, cozy Hobbit-hole with its pantries bursting with plenty. But I will not complain, nor will I question God. I know You will help me and protect me. I will trust You! I would, of course, prefer not to go through such a time, but Lord, my life belongs to You. Father, mold and shape me into the person You want me to become. See that I accomplish all that You sent me to do. Be well pleased with me! Amen.
