PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write. I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf. The middle ground in golf is the fairway. The middle ground in public policy is often where the best decisions lie.
The headline in this blog could pertain to golf when you play two others in a tough match. Call it a “threesome.”
This time, though, the headline pertains to three issues we are facing now:
- The Covid-19 virus that continues to perplex the world
- The Black Lives Matter protests in this country that continue to affect various American cities, including Portland, Oregon
- The forest fire season in the Northwest that, as it continues, is being described as the worst in Oregon’s history
Why would I write about this?
Well, the answer was provided by something my wife, Nancy, and I read in the Washington Post yesterday. On the occasion of the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 attack on Washington, D.C., the author, Hamil Harris, wrote about a sermon given at the 19th Street Baptist Church in D.C. 10 years after the tragedy.
Looking for the phrase, “God is our refuge and strength,” Nancy found the citation in the Bible – Psalm 46. But she found more.
What came up appears below.
First, for the Post to print this is noteworthy, it being, by design, one of America’s great secular newspapers.
Second, the words have direct application today as we face Covid-19, racism protests and forest fires, which, taken together, can be very foreboding.
Here is Harris’ story in the Post, under the headline:
Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength”
The Reverend Derrick Harkins sermon at the 19th Street Baptist Church on Sunday, September 11, 10 years after the tragedy, came from Psalm 46. The Northwest Washington, D.C. congregation was filled with more than 400 people as he spoke from the title, “On the Far Side of Trouble.”
Harkins said his message was partly inspired by the presence of family members of Army Major Malcolm Patterson, who perished at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Below are some excerpts from the sermon and his reflections on them.
“Psalm 46 is a strong biblical passage that reminds us that even in the face of trouble, God is our refuge and strength.”
“Harkins talked about the fact that the bible doesn’t portray the absence of calamity, but God promises his presence in trying times. September 11 was not the first, and sadly it will not be the last time we will see inhuman acts, but we always can depend on God’s presence when tragedy strikes.”
In his text, Harkins quoted from writing on the walls inside the Auschwitz Concentration Camp: ”I believe in the sun even when it is not shining. I believe in love, even when I alone. I believe in God, even when he is silent. In the midst of tragic circumstances, God is still present, even when it is hard to see or perceive him.”
“Psalm 46 says God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. The reality is that there will be difficult times, but God promises to be our refuge. When buildings crumble and our world is shaken, God has not failed us. He has promised to be with us in the middle of tragedy. We sometimes think that, when we find ourselves in difficult circumstances, God has abandoned us, but this is not the case.”
The senior choir, at Harkins’s request, sang “God Leads His Dear Children Along.” It was written by George Young after his home was burned to the ground: “Some through the water, some through the flood, some through the fire, but all through the blood. Some through great sorrow, but God gives us a song in the night season and all the day long.”
Now, after the piece by Harris, here is my conclusion.
I believe it makes sense to rely on God despite difficult circumstances, not just when circumstances are comfortable.
Tough? Yes.
But, this recognition is what is sustaining me at the moment in the face of the tough issues of Covid-19, race, and fires.
God is my refuge and strength.
Perspective from the 19th Hole 