“Know that I am with you; I will protect you wherever
you go,” God tells Jacob and his descendents. And Jacob responds
with a vow of faith and trust in God as he journeys through a life
of uncertainty. Jacob’s story is our own. God does not promise
to be with us in a life of certainties. Indeed, the Psalms reveal
there is never a dull moment in the lives of the faithful. God’s
people are always in danger, distress, despair, and denial, to name
just a few of our predicaments. We aren’t promised a life
devoid of challenges and chaos. We are instead promised refuge,
rescue, relief, and renewal. This dynamic and exciting relationship
is not as risky a lifestyle as some might think. It doesn’t
mean we are always walking a tightrope or engaging in daring death
defying acts like an action adventure hero. But God’s people
are a specially challenged population. We are called to a faith
that is professed in trust. It takes courage to activate trust.
The Bible contains stories of faith heroes like Jacob, the woman
who touched the hem on Jesus’ cloak, and the official who
thought his daughter had died. Their faith was not just a profession
of belief. It was an active faith in a time of distress and despair.
It was made active by their courage. If we read the words of the
Psalm several times today and actively apply them to our own lives,
we will see where we need to be more courageous in placing our trust
in God. Is it our fear of a new journey in life like the one Jacob
confronted? Is it the distress of ill health? Is it the despair
over the death of a loved one? Is it refuge from an ever present
temptation? What ever it is, Jesus calls us to pray courageously,
“In you, my God, I place my trust.”