St. Helen’s Daily Lenten Devotional
The vista from the top of a cliff can be breathtaking…lush valleys and mist veiled mountains. Or perhaps the view is the sea, roiling with waves, or placid, serenely reflecting the changing masterpiece of the setting sun. The scene might also be an urban one, marked by the completed designs of a thousand architects and the detritus of human habitation, and, as the sun sets, lightscapes to please the eye.
The view from down below might will depend on where you want, or need, to go. Should you look for toe and hand holds in order to scale this rock? Do you need specialized equipment, a safety harness, a climbing partner? What is just around the corner? Is there a path or a set of steps to lead you upward?
Or you may just be looking for sanctuary, for shelter, for a moment away from buffeting winds, either of nature’s variety or of life’s. It’s a matter of perspective.
In you, O Lord, I seek refuge;
do not let me ever be put to shame;
in your righteousness deliver me.
Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily.
Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe,
for you are my crag and my stronghold;
for your name’s sake lead me and guide me.
Take me out of the net that is hidden for me,
for you are my refuge, my tower of strength.
Psalm 31:1-4