Faithful God, in deep humility we come to worship and praise you this day! We are so blessed to be led and guided by our Watching God, who has so attentively supported us when difficulties arise; and when we have struggled to be your faithful people. Every day, we are surrounded by forces that test our faith and trust in God, and that often challenge our belief in the God who is not seen or heard, but to those faithful people, God is very present to them.  Just as those ancient people praised and thanked God for being beside them in their own struggles, when surrounding hordes threatened to overrun them; we too can say: if it were not for God’s presence and blessings, we would be overwhelmed by evil and its ugly powers and forces all present in the world.  The Lord is our help! “Blessed be the Lord…The trap is broken, and we are free!

Ever-present God, forgive us for our lack of trust in you, and teach us more about your constant care, and especially your steadfast love, that never changes and is totally reliable.  The imagery in the psalm of wild uncontrolled waters and hordes of people intent on ravaging our land and bodies, are in stark contrast to the trust and confidence we have in our God of deliverance and security.  May we always cling to that belief and hope, and celebrate our spiritual freedom to worship God. “We escaped...Our help is from the Lord, who made the heavens and the earth.”

Trustworthy God, you are our Helper and Keeper in times of stress and trouble - especially when our anxieties get the better of us, and we frighten ourselves as we relive our childish dreams and wildest fantasies, that usually never evolve.  Today, we give thanks for God’s abiding presence, and that our hope in you as our Liberating God has calmed and clarified our anxieties and reordered our priorities.

We declare: that if God had not been with us, we would certainly have been lost to our own imagination and repressed fears; and drowned in the flood of anxiety that threatens to challenge our faith in our Loving God when we lose touch of God. “If the Lord had not been on our side …” we would have been utterly “overwhelmed.”  Amen.