Lent
March 15, 2017
Scripture Reading: Psalm 95
O come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and the dry land, which his hands have formed.
O come, let us worship and bow down,
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.
O that today you would listen to his voice!
Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
when your ancestors tested me,
and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. –Psalm 95:1-8
What have you done for me now? God’s people have proved themselves to be a fickle people since their beginning. Those folks wondering around in the wilderness who suddenly found themselves without water quickly forgot that God had sent Moses to lead them out of captivity, plagues to rescue them from the Pharaoh, clouds by day and fire by night to guide their path, and the splitting of the Red Sea to facilitate their escape from the fast approaching Egyptians. At that point one might think they would be taking God for granted. Perhaps they were, just not in the right way.
Love essentially requires more than a 50% investment of each participant. A 100% investment from each party is perfect love. God’s love is the definition of perfect love. God’s followers vary in their investment. None reach that 100% threshold. Since that is true of all of us, God sent Jesus Christ to fill the gap with his amazing gift of grace. Why are we also fickle living in fear, searching for answers in all the wrong places, ignoring the presence of the God of love who was and is and is to come?
I am well acquainted with irrational fear; mine is claustrophobia. My logical self recognizes that it is irrational and even harmful but my logical self must work hard at continually reminding me of that when I get into tight situations. Several years ago, while undergoing a medical tests, I was strapped to a table in preparation. The attendant realized she had forgotten something and excused herself from the room. My claustrophobic persona kicked into full panic mode. I tried taking deep breathes and automatically prayed “Oh, God help me.” To be honest, I am not sure my plea would qualify as a prayer. Yet, a total sense of calm washed over me. I am still claustrophobic, still must come back to God at every MRI or tightly filled elevator, but I now know for certain that God is always present.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for always being present and for gracing us with Jesus Christ to fill our gaps when we fail at love, remaking and remolding us each step of our way. Amen.