Lent
March 27, 2019
Scripture Reading: Psalm 32
Therefore let all who are faithful
offer prayer to you;
at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters
shall not reach them.
You are a hiding-place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. –Psalm 32:6-7
I said to a friend recently that I wanted to run away from home. The world was too much with me*. All the things I wanted to do were colliding with things I had to do. I managed to complete the “had tos” and most of the “want tos” but I was spent. I thus understand the Psalmist need for a hiding-place. God is a great companion when we need to escape the torrents that flood our lives.
Sometimes we long for silence because our world is filled with noisy gongs or clanging cymbals**. Perhaps we have allowed ourselves to be such an instrument of distraction. Sometimes there are no words to say. At least, there are no words that can change events, no words that comfort, no words that matter. The comfort of God’s very presence means a lot. God is the only entity who knows us completely. God loves us without condition and wants the very best for us.
While we on occasion encounter such breaking points, some of our own making, spending time daily with God soaking up God’s loving nurture is a good preventive measure especially when you do not think you have the time for it. Find the time—driving in a car, sitting in a waiting room, taking a minute before ringing a doorbell.
Prayer: Thank you Lord, for your abiding presence. Help us take the time to acknowledge it so we can be still and know that you are God***. Amen.
*Derived from The World Is Too Much With Us by William Wordsworth
**See I Corinthians 13
*** See Psalm 46:10