From Amber Balista
For the past few weeks, I have been praying through the psalms. As a part of my field education (internship) my school requires that I practice not only skills in leadership and ministry but in self-care and soul care (spiritual disciples). At times it is these areas that are the most difficult to make the space and time to do. In other words, going to a meeting is easier for me than taking the time to exercise or to read a devotion. If you are like me than this time of partial quarantine might have you experiencing cabin-fever already. Not to mention the anxiety that comes with the unknown. If we are not anxious ourselves, we probably know at least one person who is.
I’m grateful for this practice of praying through the psalms because it is something to fall back on when so much is uncertain. The psalm for today is Psalm 33, a psalm of praise to the Lord who created everything, by speaking it into existence. Let us focus on the last few verses. Listen for the word of God:
13 The Lord looks down from
heaven;
he sees all the children of man;
14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out
on all the inhabitants of the earth,
15 he who fashions the hearts of them all
and observes all their deeds.
16 The king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation,
and by its great might it cannot rescue.
18 Behold, the eye of
the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
19 that he may deliver their soul from death
and keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for
the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.
The ruler of the universe sees and knows us. God is not removed from us, nor from all of creation. Remember Jesus came to be one of us, in all of the realness and difficulty of humanity. He was born a helpless babe, tempted in the dessert for 40 days, he was rejected and crucified. But that is not the end of the story, Jesus was raised from the dead in full victory over all pain, fear, anxiety and even death. He is enthroned for all time looking out to us, knowing our every intention, anxiety, and distraction. God also knows our powerlessness to overcome these feelings on our own. The truth is God is not powerless! God’s love is a love so big it has no end. Know this. Know that Jesus Christ is the King of the world. His is an unshakable love that holds onto us no matter what we might be feeling at this time. This is our hope. Remember, as Paul says, there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. I see the love of God at work in the reaching out of others. Many churches are offering not only video-recorded worship services but also prayer services, small groups, blogs, meditation gathers and phone calls. How have you experienced the steadfast love of God?
May the peace of Christ be with each of you.
Amber
Prayer: Almighty God, out of your love you have created all there is. Thank you for making us, for seeing us and for never leaving us alone. Engender in us your hope, your confidence and your peace. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us even as we hope in you.
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