To read: Psalm 31:9-16
New Revised Standard Version Bible,Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye wastes away from grief, my soul and body also.
For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my misery, and my bones waste away.
I am the scorn of all my adversaries, a horror to my neighbors, an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me.
I have passed out of mind like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel.
For I hear the whispering of many - terror all around! - as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life.
But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, "You are my God."
My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.
Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love.
copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
To think about:
When
I was a young boy I used to sit with my dad and watch "HeeHaw" every Saturday. I was not then, nor am I now, an avid fan of country-western music, but it was a time to be with my dad. I enjoyed watching him laugh at all the corny jokes and drink in the sound of all those country-western singers. Each week there was a part of the show that started with a song that went like this: "Gloom, despair, and agony on me - deep dark depression - excessive misery. If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all. Gloom, despair and agony on me."
Sometimes we may feel like Lent is a time to concentrate on our "gloom, despair and agony." Even our psalm for today starts out by talking about the excessive misery of life that is all around us, even to the point that the psalmist talks about withering away. The entire life of the psalmist has been set with sorrow, sighing, and failed strength. The psalmist's physical body has been wasting away. However, the psalmist finally looks beyond the despair and sees the One who sits on the throne of the universe. In recognition of our misery and despair, we are brought to the point where we look to the One who can deliver us.
It is in the truthful reflection of our own brokenness and sometimes excessive misery that we begin to see the hope that lies within God's steadfast love. It is in this wonderful and amazing gift of faith that we can look at our own brokenness, our own sinfulness, and still be emboldened to cry out and remember whom it is that we trust. We trust in the One whom we call Lord, the One we know is our God, the One who has delivered us and who continuously saves us from our "gloom, despair, and agony" through steadfast love.
To pray:
Blessed are you, O Lord God Almighty. You are the Ruler of the Universe, and no matter what comes our way - whether joy or sadness, happiness or misery - we look to you and your life-giving grace. You are the One who continues to deliver us by your steadfast love and mercy. Thank you! Amen!
St. John Lutheran Church, Parkville, Md.