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The Forward Day by Day Meditation for February 16, 2021

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TUESDAY, February 16

Psalm 39:8 And now, what is my hope? O LORD, my hope is in you.

The Hostiles, a neo-western, features Rosamund Pike as a young widow whose family is killed on the frontier. Christian Bale plays an army captain who finds her and escorts her to an army fort. In a discussion between them, he asks if she is a believer, and she says simply, “If I did not have faith, what would I have?”

Life brings losses, sometimes suddenly, through natural disaster or accidental death. Other losses are slow and agonizing—cancer, addiction, cognitive decline.

We are encouraged to have hope always. This can be burdensome. Telling cancer patients their healing depends on a positive attitude can come across as victim-blaming. The relationship between hope and faith is complicated to me, but I believe faith can nurture hope. While hope for a particular outcome can lead to disillusionment, Psalm 39 encourages us to find our hope in God.

MOVING FORWARD: Poet T.S. Eliot reflects on the interconnectedness of faith, hope, and love in his poem “East Coker.” Read the whole poem and compare its message to Psalm 39.

PRAY for the Diocese of West Ankole (Uganda)

Ps 26, 28 * 36, 39 | Deuteronomy 6:16-25 | Hebrews 2:1-10 | John 1:19-28