'God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging... Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.. Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth.
'
Being still does not feel like an option at the moment. With frenzied media speculation about Britain's future relationship with the EU spilling over into questions about whether our government and Prime Minister can even survive, any suggestion that we should be calm, confident and assured feels unreal and out of touch. So taking the moment to pause, and find calmness in God's presence is not simply the continuation of an annual routine, it is an act of deliberate defiance.
In the present climate, have we perhaps also become so pre-occupied with our own domestic agendas, that we lose sight of the wider world picture. Being still gives us a chance to set our own priorities, or even allow God to set them for us. The rest of Europe is far from politically stable, recent riots and protests in the streets of France, the resurgence of popularist and hard-right politics and an increasingly confrontational relationship with Russia are no less signs of the turmoil in which our world finds itself.
Add to the mix, the ongoing struggles in the Middle East, Afghanistan, Yemen, the increasing division between the political factions in America, not to mention those hidden conflicts and struggles that blight the lives of those trapped within them every day, and the picture that emerges is one of a deeply troubled and divided world.
In the first week of Advent, we are invited to remember how God's promise of Salvation, and eventual coming as Jesus, is rooted in events and stories from centuries earlier. Many of them took place against a backdrop that was no less turbulent and troubling. Yet as they rallied on, an invitation was offered to remember that God was no less God. Our stillness comes not from knowing what God will do, or that God will deliver solutions of our invention, but from recognising that no earthly reality can undermine God's purpose and power.
We do not ignore the troubles and struggles of our world, but our faith is not defined by them; it does not depend on their eradication. The words of this Psalm were not written yesterday, but thousands of years ago. Today's turmoil may be different, but the foundation of our assurance is the same - God is! And remembering that this has always been the case, puts our present reality in better perspective.
God whose voice called this earth and all humanity into being, may I find strength and calm this day in who you are and always will be.
click here to return to previous page