I cried out, “I am slipping!” but your unfailing love, O LORD, supported me. (Ps 94:18)
“He will not let your foot stumble; he who keeps you will not slumber or sleep… The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade.” (Ps.121:3-5)
Heavenly Father, “getting older isn’t for the faint of heart”—once a cliché, now a reality to me. Losing names is one thing, but losing balance is quite another. So many things I enjoy in life depend on sure footing and trustworthy equilibrium—such as crossing a stream while fly fishing, hiking in various terrains, and the daily reality of moving up and down steps. But lately I’m not as steady as I used to be. Give me grace, Abba, and point me towards a good YMCA balance class and helpful exercises.
But I also realize losing our balance and footing apply to many other areas of life as well. In recent days it’s been easy to lose my sense of emotional and spiritual equilibrium in a world that has normalized war, cultural chaos, and the loss of common decency. Like trying to navigate an ice-covered sidewalk, walking through the messes and morasses of our day isn’t just tricky it’s confusing, disheartening, and dangerous. Thank you for steadying us and stabilizing our “heart-feet.” Your unfailing love supports us in every area of our fallenness and “falling-ness.” And when we do fall, you pick us up. Hallelujah and thank you.
Since balance is often an eye-and-brain affair—what scientists call “visual-vestibular integration,” help us fix our gaze on Jesus (Heb.12:2), set our affections on things above (Col.3:1-4), and surrender our thinking to Christ and your Word (2Cor.10:5). Lastly, Father, thank you for never “dozing off” or sleeping while you care for us, and for promising to be our “keeper” and “shade” all the way Home. So Very Amen.
