Introduction

The Congregation Council at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Beatrice, Neb., where I am serving as interim pastor, opens its monthly meetings with devotions. These are the thoughts for the October 2009 meeting. The Psalm for the upcoming Sunday is the reading.

Reading

Because you have made the LORD your refuge,
the Most High your dwelling place,
no evil shall befall you,
no scourge come near your tent.

For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the adder,
and the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.

Those who love me, I will deliver;
I will protect those who know my name.
When they call to me, I will answer them;
I will be with them in trouble,
I will rescue them and honor them.
With long life I will satisfy them,
and show them my salvation. (Psalm 91:9-16, NRSV)

Meditation

One of the most beloved hymns begins with the phrase, “Have no fear, little flock.” Fear is one of our natural, even instinctual human reactions to things we do not know, cannot see clearly, or may believe are threats to us. When it comes to dangers, fear makes sense, because it protects us from harm. But when we meditate on fear in our relationship with God, it becomes clear that fear and faith occupy opposing ends of that relationship. Basically, fear arises in the absence of faith; perfect faith banishes fear.

This helps us to hear the Psalmist’s words as a hymn to the power of God. He knows our fears, sympathizes with the threats we feel from evil, scourges, and the powers of wild beasts, both literal and figurative. He responds to those fears with his loving assurance of deliverance, protection, answers to prayers, presence in trouble, rescue from danger, blessings of long life, and the gift of salvation.

It’s helpful to recall that when Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, the devil quoted the verses on God’s guardian angels as justification for Jesus throwing himself off of the temple tower. Jesus would not be tempted to test God, but instead, lives by faith, giving him freedom from the fear that would have come in trusting the devil. In our lives, though, we can trust that God sends his messengers, his angels, to guard us from danger and to bear us up in the midst of the adversity of the sharp rocks of our daily lives.

Discussion

• What do we fear as individuals? What do we fear as a congregation?
• Where do you turn for assurance? What strengthens your faith?
• What can we, as leaders, do to help God lead our congregation from fear to faith?

Prayer

LORD Most High, we ask you to protect us from the dangers that surround us. When we are tempted to fear these threats and to doubt your care for us, strengthen our faith in you, that we may trust you to deliver us and show us your salvation. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.