Of Whom Shall I Be Afraid?

“When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” “But the Lord has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.” Psalm 94:18-19,22

Don’t be afraid to love
Listen to me…
Reach out in the darkness
Reach out in the darkness
Reach out in the darkness
And you may find a friend

“Reach Out In The Darkness” Friend and Lover (Jim Post)

I recently read two posts on Facebook from a couple of folks in their late 30s and early 40s. They are both successful in their careers, dynamic individuals, not married (though that isn’t necessarily germane) trying to decipher life as it is in their world, which, they express, has them fearful.

First, I find such posts with such personal information extraordinary, but, given the supportive responses from their friends, apparently in 2021, your life is truly “out there”, to the extent you wish it to be online.

Second, even with our constant connectivity, where are the healthy relationships? Where is a strong faith life? Where are you, Lord?

We’ve been in this disconnect many, many times prior to the pandemic. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, in the height of the Vietnam conflict, we were “existing”, talking, but not listening, and terribly alone together in surface relationships.

The above from the duo Friend and Lover was a fairly successful pop song. If you’re of a certain age, you may remember it. The gist of the song is: there is darkness and fear, there is light, and hope. It takes extra effort, sometimes, including the admission that we cannot do it alone.

I have had some extraordinary conversations in recent years with younger folks, asking them to identify what they are afraid of, and helping them design their path to move beyond whatever is holding them back. For the most part, it’s worked, and they have moved forward in their lives.

Still, in the midst of our temporal issues, when there is, at best, haziness and at worst, darkness, God is with us, our fortress, the rock in which we take refuge. His love is eternal.

And….

Love never fails.

Image Kaohsiung harbor sunrise skyline, wikimedia