Save me, O God, by your name; vindicate me by your might. – Psalm 54:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 23, 2012): Psalm 54

George and Ira Gershwin have written a lot of songs that continually have been included in the soundtracks of our lives, but one of them is a haunting ballad (that was actually originally written as a jazz tune) called “Someone to Watch Over Me.” I remember the first time I heard the song. Amazingly enough it was not in a revival of “Oh Kay” – the musical the song was originally written for. It was in an episode of “WKRP in Cincinnati.” The episode was “Baby it’s Cold Inside” and Mama Carlson had just blackmailed Dr. Johnny Fever to play the song on the radio. And then the haunting melody began. “I'm a little lamb who's lost in a wood, I know I could always be good, To one who'll watch over me.” But the song is more than just a haunting, pretty tune. It speaks to a need that I think we all have - the need for someone to simply just be with us.

It is amazing what the presence of someone can do for us. Sometimes that is all we really need. We do not need a solution or a miraculous answer to our problem – we just need to know that someone will stand with us. Unfortunately, one of our reactions to stress is to push people away, so that when we need people the most, they are no longer there. There might not be a greater ministry than just the persistent pursuit of people that need our presence.

David needed help. It seemed that his enemies were everywhere, and when his enemies were absent, it seemed that those that were there were willing to sell him out to his enemies. And David needed someone to just come and stand with him. In fact, that was David’s persistent need – he needed someone to watch over him.

Christmas is the story of a God who decided to give us his presence. He came to be with us. And his presence is what we really need. There will always be times of stress in our lives – and I hope that as we move through life we will realize how important those times of trouble have been in shaping who we are. But I hope that we also realize that there is a presence that is with us through all the situations of life – and that we really do have a Someone who is watching over us.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 63