Living in the Spirit

June 23, 2020

Scripture Reading: Psalm 13
How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
   How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I bear pain in my soul,
   and have sorrow in my heart all day long?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

Consider and answer me, O Lord my God!
   Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
and my enemy will say, ‘I have prevailed’;
   my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.

But I trusted in your steadfast love;
   my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
   because he has dealt bountifully with me.

While I am not in the same place right now, that this Psalmist was, I have been there. Soul pain is the worst agony when one’s world is spinning out of control, and there is nothing he or she can do to stop it. Hard for an individual and a family, we are experiencing soul pain as a society. One catastrophe after another slam against us at every turn. Living in a divided nation torn apart more by fear of that lack of control than anything specific, some take power from our lack of unity playing us against one another for their own gain.

We may feel a lack of power, lack of control, but we serve an omnipotent—all-powerful—God who loves each and every one of us. We serve an omnipresent—always with us—God who is working God’s will as God’s Spirit moves among us, guiding and directing us toward bringing new creation from the chaos in which we find ourselves. We serve an omniscient—all-knowing—God who opens our hearts and minds to a new understanding taking us forward into the next iteration of the fulfillment of living in a world ruled by love. Our challenge is to trust in God’s steadfast love and follow God’s rule of love.

Prayer: Lord, we do get weary, and we do respond fearfully, but deep in our hearts, your love is still within us.  Nourish us for the facing of this hour. Amen

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.