Choices

It’s interesting that this psalm comes on this day. Fifty-four years ago, my second child was born seven weeks too early. Any parent can imagine what I experienced that day. It took almost twenty minutes before I heard her first cry and I breathed a sigh of relief, but it was not to last as she had problems with her lungs and fifty-four years ago they didn’t have the facilities that they have today. All I could do was pray, and pray I did.

I placed her in God’s hands and prayed that she would live. Now, I know that this is not the same situation that David was in when he blessed God for saving him from the armies of Saul, but it was one of the scariest moments of my life. Like David, my daughter was saved from death.

When we don’t know who we can turn to, we can turn to God. When we don’t know what to do, we can pray. God always answers our prayer. Sometimes we don’t like the answers we get! God, himself, knows how often he has said “no” to me! Sometimes his answer is that he will get me through the valley of death that I am experiencing. Whichever way it goes, God is my strength and the one I always turn to first. We have choices.

When our prayers are not answered in the way we want, we can turn away from God. I know people who have decided that either God does not exist or is an evil God because of the tragedies they have experienced. I can understand how tragedy can impact our faith. Others whom I know are grateful that God has brought them through the tragedies and their faith is stronger for it.

As I said, we have a choice and each of us will be called on many times in our lives to make it.

Loving God, you have done so much for us. You have been with us in good times and bad and have seen us through the joys and the sorrows. May we always remember that you are there for us and turn to you as our rock and our fortress! Amen.