They cannot take away our hope.

Psalm 56. 10

In God the Lord, whose word I praise, in God I trust and will not be afraid, * for what can mortals do to me?

Along the lines of God's words to Job in this week's lectionary, the psalmist suggests the same position...when we praise and trust God, we need not be afraid for "what can mortals do" to us!

In a beautiful psalm study recently, a wise priest said, "at the heart of the psalms for the Jewish people is hope, the ultimate act of faith...in every present reality, there is a future possibility." I was reminded of Elie Wiesel's comment about life in the concentration camps..."they cannot take away our hope."

In this difficult election season, I find it essential to place my trust and hope in God, because mortals are at such odds with each other. The vitriol and backbiting is rampant to the point where people who were once friends cannot even speak to each other. With God's presence, we can withstand whatever mortals hand out...and even perhaps find the strength to act with love and forgiveness. In that I put my hope and will not be afraid.