Prayer: You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my god turns my darkness into light. With your help, I can advance against a troop. With my God, I can scale a wall. Amen.
Reading: Psalm 18 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: There are many things in this short passage that remind me of camp. The song, “Give Me Oil” is the first thing that comes to mind (I’m sorry if it’s stuck in your head all day now). I love the song because it is one of those songs that combines a good scripture message, the silliness of camp (truckin’ for the Lord) and it creates community. Who doesn’t love skipping around the dining hall loudly proclaiming, “Sing Hosanna”? The next line in this Psalm, “My God turns my darkness into light” reminds me of another song, “This Little Light of Mine.” I had a strange obsession with this song when I was younger; I guess maybe it was the only song by Sunday School teacher taught us. Darkness, real darkness or emotional darkness, can be a scary thing. Knowing God is there with you even if it’s only in a tiny little light, it will help you “advance against a troop” and/or “scale a wall.” My immediate thoughts go to the old climbing wall at Mount Luther. As a younger camper, it looked absolutely impossible for me, but yet something inside me could not wait to try it. I can still remember the way it felt to accomplish the wall for the first time my first year on staff. We felt bonded as a team, accomplished and overjoyed. We encounter “walls” in life and it is up to us to get over them. Sometimes you may be standing at the bottom looking up thinking it is an impossible task. In those moments, remember God is there with you. I can’t tell you how many times growing up I heard, “What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger.” I believe that God challenges sometimes and pushes us. The important thing is to remember that God is there for you. Talk to God about the challenges you face and ask for help when you need it. Don’t forget that when you make it over the wall to rejoice and praise God! --Courtney Raker
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