Challenges, Both Epic and Everyday

Today’s Psalm gives us this vivid passage:

"The breakers of death surged round about me,
the destroying floods overwhelmed me;
The cords of the nether world enmeshed me,
the snares of death overtook me" (Psalm 18:4-5).

This sounds more an action movie than real life. Frodo Baggins faces such things in Lord of the Rings, I think to myself; I can’t relate to this at all.

Or can I?

Even in my little life, breakers—waves—surround me. They’re not breakers of death, but the demands of work, home, and that ominous sound coming from my car’s brakes. Some of us juggle the needs of young children or elderly parents. A constant lapping of waves: that’s how it often feels.

Destroying floods: these are the crises you can’t ignore, that make normal life stop for a while. It’s the suddenly sick child, the job loss, the frightening lab result. They douse us with cold water, and we paddle madly, fearing we’ll be swept away.

Cords: there are plenty of things that tie us down and pull us back. One is social media (how many times do I reach for my phone?), and the comparisons that inevitably result. For me, it’s also the pet anxieties I fall back into because worrying seems easier than stretching for a new approach.

Snares are traps: I face my share of those. Maybe it’s the digital ad that leads me to buy something I don’t need. Maybe it’s a toxic person, someone I can pray for but whom I shouldn’t keep allowing in my life. A snare could be obsessive guilt: guilt for something that isn’t even a sin, or for a regret that I’ve already hashed out with God, for unnecessary guilt can entrap us as surely as pride can.

But here’s the good news: in every challenge, epic or everyday, we are assured of God’s love in today's Responsorial Psalm: “I called upon the Lord and he heard my voice.” Is that our default position—to call first upon the Lord, in all these snares and floods? And if it isn’t, are we willing to make it so?

listen to today’s devotion

We are assured of God’s love. // Ginny Kubitz MoyerClick to tweet

Are you facing breakers, floods, cords, or snares right now? Take your heart to a trusted friend and be vulnerable, allowing her to grow in sisterhood with you.