By the Rev Dr Roger Sturrock
For those of us who are now obliged to self isolate and avoid normal social contacts in the light of the COVID-19 outbreak, life will become increasingly frustrating!
As time goes on we may be tempted to fret about our situation – especially if you are prone to fret like me!
I have always found that reading Psalm 37 is a good antidote to fretting.
The psalm is attributed to King David and suggests that David was going through a particularly tough and frustrating time when he wrote this psalm – he refers to his adversaries ‘the wicked’ in almost every verse. In our current situation replace the wicked with coronavirus. It gives a new dimension to the psalm!
What are the antidotes to fretting? David highlights 5 words that we should apply to ourselves:
- Trust in the Lord and do good. Verse 3.
- Take delight in the Lord. verse 4.
- Commit your way to the Lord. verse 5.
- Be still before the Lord. verse 7.
- Wait patiently for Him. verse 7.
Barak Obama former president of the United States emphasises that a change in attitudes begins with ourselves:
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”
As we begin a new week with all of the uncertainties that may lie ahead, reflect and meditate on the 5 key words in the Psalm. They will do us all good!
