This evening I read Psalm 84 as part of a prayer for a brother who was experiencing great discouragement. My friend’s experience has been constant over many years.
“Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.” (Psalm 84:5).
It’s been a long time since I read ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’ which we studied at school. After reading Psalm 84 tonight, I came across these words of Anne where she shows an inner strength as she expresses her hope in the midst of those awful dark days of the Second World War.
Anne Frank expressing hope for peace:
“It’s utterly impossible for me to build my life on a foundation of chaos, suffering and death. I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness, I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too, I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquillity will return once more. In the meantime, I must hold on to my ideals. Perhaps the day will come when I’ll be able to realize them!” (The Diary of Anne Frank, 15 July 1944).
“As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.” (Psalm 84:6-7).