A present help in times of trouble

Psalm 46
God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble.

Help us, O Lord!

I cannot express my dismay with the election results from last night; I have never felt this way and this strongly about any other election in my lifetime.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
³ though its waters roar and foam    and the mountains quake with their surging.


Sounds alot like Hurricane Sandy, doesn't it? It also sounds alot like how my heart feels; how can so many people be so stupid, ignorant and selfish?? I just don't get it!!

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy place where the Most High dwells.
⁵ God is within her, she will not fall;
    God will help her at break of day.

A river. Hrm, what is that river? Is it the Holy Spirit? "Peace like a river" runs through my mind...

⁶ Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
    he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

Maybe the one that is stupid, ignorant and selfish is me? I feel like our nation is in an uproar. I feel like our 'kingdom' has fallen! Like the wicked witch from the Wizard of Oz, I feel like screaming, "I'm melting!! Melting!!"

The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

If I'm going to be true to my therapeutic self, I have to admit that my feelings are not what drives me unless I allow them to; the facts should be my guide and the basis for my faith...in both God and our country. The fact is that God is still God and He is still in control. I may not understand what he is doing nor why He is doing it, but I know that there is a reason.

Come and see what the Lord has done,
    the desolations he has brought on the earth.
⁹ He makes wars cease
    to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the shields^[d] with fire.

Instead of asking "Why?", I will do as I direct my clients: Ask myself instead, "How does this relate to my life and what I'm going through" and "How does this relate to my continued recovery from issues and my relationship with God and others?"

Like I posted the other day:

And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing or situation -- some fact of my life -- unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. Nothing, absolutely nothing happens in God's world by mistake. Until I could accept my alcoholism, I could not stay sober; unless I accept life completely on life's terms, I cannot be happy. I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world as on what needs to be changed in me and in my attitudes.

For me, serenity began when I learned to distinguish between those things that I could change and those I could not. When I admitted that there were people, places, things, and situations over which I was totally powerless, those things began to lose their power over me. I learned that everyone has the right to make their own mistakes, and learn from them, without my interference, judgement, or assistance!

AA Big Book page 417

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”

Lord, help me to accept the things that I cannot change and not to complain because I can't. Thanks.
The Lord Almighty is with us;    the God of Jacob is our fortress.