“In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.” Psalm 56:11
I am a big fan of old musicals. In them, the Von Trapp family sings their way out of Nazi Austria, a lowly flower girl learns to talk like a proper lady, sailors have a grand time on shore, and Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland solve every crisis they face with the grand idea of “let’s put on a show!” My kids are still puzzled by why people in these musicals burst into song at random times in public places!
“Annie, Get your Gun!” is one of these classics and is loosely based on Annie Oakley’s life. In this movie Annie sings,
“Got no diamond, got no pearl, still I think I’m a lucky girl.
I got the sun in the morning and the moon at night.
Got no checkbooks, got no banks, still I’d like to express my thanks.
I got the sun in the morning and moon at night,
and with the sun in the morning and the moon in the evening,
I’m alright.”
Annie faced her worries and stress and realized she would be okay, because the things she truly needed couldn’t be taken away from her. Now, in reality, when facing a child in a health crisis, or an irate boss who has overloaded you with responsibility, or even just trying to stretch the meager dollars to pay a towering stack of bills, I’m not sure the sun and the moon would be enough!
But for the Christian, there is a far better reassurance in what we can be thankful for. And nobody has stated this more eloquently than Max Lucado in his book Traveling Light:
“You have a God who hears you, the power of love behind you, the Holy Spirit within you, and all of heaven ahead of you. If you have the Shepherd, you have grace for every sin, direction for every turn, a candle for every corner, and an anchor for every storm. You have everything you need.
And who can take it from you? Can leukemia infect your salvation? Can bankruptcy impoverish your prayers? A tornado might take your earthly house, but will it touch your heavenly home? And look at your position. Why clamor for prestige and power? Are you not already privileged to be part of the greatest work in history?”
As our psalmist says, when our trust rests in God, there is nothing on earth that can truly shake us. Whatever list lies before you or crisis is lingering on the doorstep of your mind, go ahead and take stock of what you have in your Heavenly Father – no crisis, failure, or lack of time can take those things away. And, that truth might just be enough to make you break out into song!
Make a list of God’s attributes and meditate on them today.
