“Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war rise against me,
yet I will be confident” (v.3 ESV)
I wonder
whether Edith Cavell read this psalm as she sat in her cell at Saint-Gilles in
1915 awaiting her execution. We know that she was confident enough that the
Lord would be her shelter in time of trouble (v.5) to join the Anglican
Chaplain who visited her the night before she died in singing these words, a
verse that seems particularly appropriate as we go into Holy Week and look
forward to Easter:
“I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no
bitterness;
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, they
victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.” (Henry F. Lyte, 1847)
Cavell
was executed for offering shelter to others, but she found her own shelter in
the Lord. If we allow Him to abide with us too, He will be our stronghold (v.1)
and dwelling place (v.4) – our forever home – but He will also be our shelter
and tent (v.5) on our Christian journey.
This
week as we remember Christ facing his own enemies in the confidence of God’s
shelter, let us too wait with confidence: “be strong and let your heart take
courage; wait for the Lord!” (v.14).
Edith
Cavell a été exécutée pour avoir offert un abri aux autres, mais face à
ses adversaires, elle a trouvé son propre abri auprès du Seigneur. Si nous lui
laissons la place, le Seigneur sera pour nous notre rempart et notre demeure
pour toujours, mais aussi une tente pour nous abriter tout au long de notre
chemin chrétien. Cette semaine, nous nous rappelons que face à ses adversaires,
Jésus aussi s’est réfugié près du Seigneur : fortifiés, espérons avec lui en
l’Eternel.
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