The Strength To Be Gentle

I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.
You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has held me up, Your gentleness has made me great.
[Psalm 18:1-3 and 35 NKJV]

River Add from Islandadd Bridge, Argyll

It used to strike me as odd that we call this day Good Friday. That was before I knew Him, and the enormous sacrifice He made. This year - in the midst of an attack on each and every one of us - a threat unprecedented in our lifetimes, and one that will have ramifications for years to come, we can see that today is indeed a good day.
As a result of Jesus' sacrifice, we have a saviour who will ensure that it is well with my soul, regardless of storm around us.

Psalm 18 says it well: I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies. [Psalm 18:1-3 NKJV]

Dylan Thomas, the Welsh poet, wrote these lines below as his father was dying, and this poem can be seen as not only applying to old age and death, but to any adversity we face. We should not give up easily, we should persevere with a great determination and remember to "not go gentle into that good night" whether that good night is failure, or despondency, or a sea of troubles. That strength to persevere; to set our faces like flint against the onslaught is God-given as we see from Psalm 18.

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

 Dylan Thomas (1914-1953)

Our weaknesses need His strength. His gentleness gives us that strength to overcome, for it calms our fears and anxieties. He brings life that helps us rage against the dying of the light. He will not allow our fears to rule us; if we but choose His living water.

Here is an audio message for today from Pastor Carter Conlon of Times Square Church in New York; If You Only Knew: