I’m walking around Vienna with a large suitcase. The escalator leads upward from the subway station. “Be careful,” someone just advised me because of the luggage—“That can’t be a problem,” I think to myself, but no sooner had I thought it than I nearly lost my balance. I struggle to keep my balance, but I can’t stop myself from falling. Backward, sideways—I let go of the suitcase so I can brace myself, but I’m only going backward! Brace myself? Impossible…

I fall backward and suddenly realize: There are hands holding me. Behind me and beside me, people have reached out their hands and literally saved me from a serious fall.

An unforgettable experience: I am not alone. I am being held. There are people around me—they catch me when I fall.

And deep inside I feel: Ultimately, it is God, the strong, loving Father, who holds me, who carries me in life and in death.

For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29,11

If you fall—who will catch you?

Weekly text: Psalm 91,1–16