“And remind us, God,  that we rest always, in the palm of your hand.“ 

Many of the prayers I offered in my time of parish ministry included those words, especially when I prayed with those undergoing some kind of challenge.    They were important to me and, I hope, helpful to those facing a difficult time.

Those words are a reminder of a great truth, maybe the greatest truth – that God is with us, and for us. It is always true, but in the “valley” moments of life, it can be easy to forget.  Trusting that truth can be hard at times.

But I think each of us has moments, rare though they might be, when we just know in our souls, that God is present and real – and that, somehow, in some way, at some time, all will be made right.  It is not shallow optimism but a true faith in that which we are fortunate enough to glimpse every so often. 

Fred Buechner writes about this sense and what it can mean for us.  He says “Not at every moment of our lives, Heaven knows, but at certain rare moments of greenness and stillness, we are shepherded by the knowledge that though all is far from right with any world you and I know anything about, all is right deep down. All will be right at last. I suspect that is at least part of what ‘He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness’ is all about. It means righteousness not just in the sense of doing right but in the sense of being right—being right with God, trusting the deep-down rightness of the life God has created for us and in us, and riding that trust the way a red-tailed hawk rides the currents of the air in this valley where we live.”

Having faith in that  “deep-down rightness of the life God has created for us and in us”   means that we can trust, no matter the trial we might be facing, that God will not let us go.  He is with us – now and always. May that be so for each of us.