Lorraine Triggs muses briefly about an entry from Prayers for Every Occasion by Ellen Elwell.

"Stay safe" is the new “take care.” I have hopes it might replace “have a good one” in the national vocabulary, but I’m not counting on that.

That desire to stay safe and to secure our future is a long-standing trend, not a new cultural phenomenon. We invest, we plan, we work, we vote as if everything depends on us. What a relief and rest to know that our safety and security is in another’s loving and kind hands.

Ellen Elwell captures this well in the entry “Priorities.” Read the psalm, read Ellen’s prayer, rest today, stay safe, be secure in God.

Priorities

Psalm 39:4-7 (NLT)

Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.

Remind me that my days are numbered—

how fleeting my life is.

You have made my life no longer than

The width of my hand.

My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;

at best each of us is but a breath.

We are merely moving shadows,

and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.

We heap up wealth,

not knowing who will spend it.

And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?

My only hope is in you.

God, you live in eternity, and it’s hard for us to get our minds around that. In comparison to you, our lives seem like meteors that pass quickly through the sky. Even if we saved millions of dollars during our short lifetime, we couldn’t take a penny of it with us when we die. What we can take with us is our relationship with you. Though we shouldn’t put our hope in time or money, we’re safe to put our hope in you, God. Thank you that you are the same yesterday, today and forever.