Ordinary Time 
Pause
When faced with rough waters and stormy winds we ask:
Will I make it? Will God carry me through the storm? Is God enough?
A 4th century martyr, Severus of Thrace, wrote:
“To all who are tossed by the waves, Lord, you are the calm of the harbor; you are the hope of the hopeful.”
Listen
“Give thanks to the Lord because he is good, because his faithful love lasts forever!” That’s what those who are redeemed by the Lord say, the ones God redeemed from the power of their enemies, the ones God gathered from various countries, from east and west, north and south.
Psalm 107:1-3
Think
Maybe you know someone who likes to complain about how all the songs of a certain genre sound alike. The truth is, our brains often like a song precisely because it sounds like something we’ve heard before. Researchers have even discovered that the most popular songs of the last half century tend to contain similar themes – like nostalgia, inspiration, and rebellion – and similar words – like baby, night, and love.
The Psalms – the Bible’s great collection of songs – is also full of repeated themes and words. One of those words is “faithful love,” which appears at the end of the first verse in today’s reading (yes, “faithful love” is technically two words, but in Hebrew, the original language, it’s only one – chesed.) This Hebrew word appears more often in the Psalms than in every other Old Testament book combined!
We can learn from the experiences of the Psalm writers. They understood that, even though life can be difficult at times, God’s faithful love is enough to sustain us through any kind of trouble.
Justin Joplin
Pray
Your love lasts forever, God. Make that truth echo again and again in my soul, like the chorus of my favorite song. Amen.
Go
As you go, carry this conviction deep in your heart: Through calm and chaos, God’s faithful love is enough to sustain you.
