Tom Barnard

“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand

 against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me.”

(Psalm 138:7 NIV)

Isaac Penington was a seventeenth-century Quaker and a voluminous writer of religious literature. He suffered greatly for his faith, including six imprisonments for being a non-conformist against British laws that restricted certain religious observances. Here is a paragraph from one of his writings:

“Therefore, in the evil hour, lie still, feel thy stay, till His light which ‘makes manifest’ arise in thee, and clear up things to thee. And think not the time of darkness long; but watch, that thy heart be kept empty and thy mind clear of thoughts and belief of things, till He bring in somewhat which thou mayest safely receive. Therefore, say to thy thoughts (in times like these)...‘Get thee hence!’ And if that will not do, look up to the Lord to speak to them (i.e. troubling thoughts); and to keep them out if they be not already entered…Yea, though they (i.e. troubling thoughts) violently thrust themselves upon thee, and seem to have entered thy mind, yet let them be as strangers to thee; receive them not, believe them not, know them not, own them not.”

Penington’s words reflect a style of writing that seems strange today, but the meaning is clear. When troubling times come, look to the Lord. Do not allow your mindset to be negative. And if thoughts come to you that are disturbing, “receive them not, believe them not, know them not, own them not.”

Consider these words by the hymn-writer Andrew Reed (1787-1862):

Holy Spirit, Joy divine,

Cheer this saddened heart of mine;

Bid my troubled thoughts be still;

With Thy peace my spirit fill.

Spirit of God, these are troubling times for serious Christians. Americans go to the polls next week to elect new national leadership. Many of us are fearful; others are angry. All of us are concerned about the future direction our nation will take. We don’t ask that you cast our vote for us, and we do not shirk our duties as citizens. We simply ask that you hear our prayers for our people. Encourage us to voice the words of the psalmist to seek your intervention—to become engaged in the decisions we make. Above all else, save us from ourselves. In Jesus’ strong name I pray. Amen.