A Hope and Promise
.
Psalm 131
1. O Lord, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. 2. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a child quieted at its mother's breast; like a child that is quieted is my soul. 3. O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and for evermore.
Lamentations 3:19-27
19. Remember my affliction and my bitterness, the wormwood and the gall! 20. My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me. 21. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: 22. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; 23. they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. 24. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." 25. The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. 26. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. 27. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
Yesterday I started out in Psalms, but never zeroed in on what I was “looking for.” I guess I got a little ahead of myself! I was directed to this psalm a very long time ago by one of the giants of faith in my life. I had shared with her that I wasn’t sleeping well because I just had too much running through my mind each night as I went to bed. She directed me to Psalm 131. Somehow, just reading it calms me, quiets me—like a comforted child. It helps to remember that God has everything under His control and that the world will not spinning on its axis as I sleep!
This passage from Lamentations is along the same vane. I don’t think we can be reminded too often who is really in charge! In a day and time where the world seems to have gone mad, and we seem to have lost all sense of who we are and whose we are, I find tremendous comfort in remembering that the Lord offers us tremendous hope and a “way out” of all the madness. “The Lord is good to those who wait for him.”
I told a friend the other day that everything in my life is going great right now! I’m not rich—far from it! I’m not thin-we won’t go there! I’m not famous—not sure I want that! I have a wonderful husband, two great kids, the best boss I’ve ever worked for and a job that suits my personality and allows me to explore and expand upon my skills and abilities. So why, you may ask, do I need to be comforted, stilled, quieted? Because “the world” gets in the way. I forget all I have sometimes. I cluck my tongue and shake my head and think, “What’s wrong with the world?”
So I think that’s why I was led to these scripture this morning. Even though life is pretty calm and I’m happy and satisfied with my “portion” today, I slip into the woe is me mentality with way to much facility! Wars rage, evil looms around every corner, disasters strike, and sin runs rampant. I, however, have a hope and a promise that I can cling to: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning.” I pray that I am never tested so much that I cannot cling to these words!
Psalm 131 is not implying that we are to be complacent, willing "victims" of all the bad in the world! It is declaring that first and last, God is with us. He planned the world, and us, and every moment of our lives. So tonight when we go to sleep, we can be confident that he will be hard at work, preserving the world for us for another day! If not, well, then I hope I wake up in heaven!
I hope today you think of these words of comfort as the world overwhelms your senses and sensibilities. And that you will still and quiet your soul before God like a comforted child.
Mary
