Scripture: Psalm 56:11 – “In God I trust; I am not afraid. What can a mere mortal do to me?”
I am sending out this devotion on Wednesday morning, January 20, 2021. This day will see the inauguration of a new president of the United States. I know that some of you voted for him and some of you voted for the other guy. Some did not vote at all. But despite our differences, I think we can all agree that the peaceful transfer of power has been a hallmark of American democracy since the beginning.
But I have sensed an anxiety in the air. I have read the news about increased security and even military presence in Washington, D.C., and in many state capitols. What if something goes wrong? What if something terrible happens?
I think the core of our anger and our division come from fear and mistrust. We look at people from outside our ideological or regional tribe and think that they have sinister motives. As such, any victory they achieve is perceived as a direct threat to our wellbeing, leading to responses from nasty posts on social media to haughty dismissals of entire groups of people to armed protests and other forms of public intimidation.
In all this, I think people have forgotten God, which is ironic given how partisans of all kinds see their work as a holy crusade. All humanity was created in God’s own image, and all of us should reflect the unity and diversity we find in the Trinity. Moreover, when we are divided by sin from God, our best way back to repent and forgive, just as Jesus instructs us to do in the Lord’s Prayer. We should not double down on our fears or our own sense of strength and superiority, for that only leads to more fear and division, from others and from God.
Now is a time of anxiety and fear, but we should never be too afraid to hope that God will see us through and that we can truly be holier, more just, and more loving people. It says right on the money in our pockets: In God we trust. What can mere mortals do to us?
Prayer: God of mercy, bless us in our times of fear and kindle our love and passion for justice through the Holy Spirit so that we can overcome all fear. Amen.
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