Abide under the shadow of the Almighty

 

FRI Evening Prayer Reflection 080720 (Ps 91; Acts 4:13-31)

Ps. 91 begins with this verse: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, abides under the shadow of the Almighty.” There is a strong sense of God’s protection alluded here. It is our strongest belief that the children of God are always under God’s umbrella of protection, where not only your person is protected but also you are under grace and the mercy of God. This Sunday, we will read from Ps 85:10 which is a favorite of mine! It says: “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” KJV. In God, there is a strong sense of Justice and righteousness because our God is Holy. But, we on the other hand have messed up in life and our justice and righteousness can never measure to God’s standards. Our justice is so limited, so skewed, so unjust compared to God’s. Ps 91 became a go place to for the sufferer of injustices of this world. Try reading PS 91, it will be like placing yourself under the shadow of the Almighty.

At the height of the civil war in Rwanda that led to a Genocide, one military Sr officer came back to his village and he was so distraught and enraged, thinking that all his family was killed, but it turns out, his mother had survived because she was hidden by their neighbors. So, he ordered his soldiers to kill everyone on the mountain in revenge. The sad part is that his mother also perished in this revenge effort. Our justices are skewed. We can only await God’s protection and God tells us in His word: “Vengeance is mine.”

When we take matters in our own hands, we effectively remove ourselves from the shadow of the Almighty. We basically tell God that we are fine and that we are going to take over from here. Well, God let us because he gave us choices. When we choose to be on our own, we can’t tap into the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Today’s reading in the book of Acts show the workings of the power of the Holy Spirit amongst Jesus’ disciples. After Jesus was murdered, it is understandable that they would be fearful, least they get targeted as well. But this time, they are not afraid, they had seen the work of God performed through their own hands, they were being led by God, they were under God’s shadow of protection.

What had happened is that they had healed someone, so Peter and John were arrested for it. Now when the authorities realized Peter and John were uneducated, [probably thinking: these people are of no real consequence], so they let them go. When you are under the shadow of God Almighty, even if you pass in front of your enemies, they just might not see you. I believe God has a last date for each one of us, this means that any other time, if it’s not our appointed day, it is not our day. Plenty of stories out there of people who escaped horrendous situations even when everyone has lost hope. God does protect His people. The disciples eventually realized that the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was at work, and that nothing could stop them, that’s why they said this boldly: “Is it right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than to God? you must judge.” That boldness is due to an increased faith, the evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit doing miracles.

Of course, we live in a world that lack faith, a world that rebels against faith, a world of people that remove themselves from under the show of the Almighty. A world that is going crazier and crazier. Jesus tells us not to lose heart, and to believe in Him. He has so much confidence in us that he says we will do even greater things than He did. Here were his disciples curing diseases. Here at St. Andrews, there are many people who were healed, people who found relief from their ailments or pain. Prayer works! We need to pray for each other. Pray for your family. Tell them you love them, remind your family that you love them. That’s what happens for those who are under the shadow of the Almighty: There is divine protection.

Blessings to you and have a blessed Weekend!