Reflections
Psalm 95: 1-2, 6-7, 8-9 (Read)
"Oh that today you would hear His voice."
Knowing God's will is hard enough;
discernment is a gift from God.
But even if we are gifted enough to
be able to discern God 's will,
can we have the courage and conviction
to actually do His will? Today more than
ever we need to hear His voice. As God the
Father said, “This is my beloved Son
with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.”
In the Gospel, Jesus instructs the disciples
how to do all they have been commanded.
As followers of Jesus, we too are to do all
that we are obliged to do.
Doing the will of God must have been
difficult even for the disciples, hand picked
by our Lord himself. How much more so is
the will of God a challenge for ordinary
persons like us? Even the disciples must
have been in awe of what Jesus was
commanding them to do.
“Harden not your hearts.”
Our spiritual history is full of occasions
where the faithful were known to have
hardened their hearts and refused to listen
to God's voice, though they had seen
His works, as our psalmist mentions.
But after all, He is our God, as the psalm says,
and we are the people he shepherds.
Our job is to kneel before the Lord who
made us and to carry out His will the best
we can. And if we are careful to listen
to His voice, He will empower us to do
His will, just as Jesus empowered the
disciples to rise up to the challenge of
the great commission and to become ordinary
men performing extraordinary deeds.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist encourages us not to harden our hearts
when we hear God's voice. Do you find it difficult sometimes
to carry out God's will in your life even if you believe
He is speaking to you? Give an example.
2. The psalm reminds us that we are like sheep and the Lord is
our shepherd. Are you willing to be just an ordinary sheep among
His flock? If so, what does it mean to you to be shepherded
by the Lord?
ReplyDeleteSometimes when I am preoccupied about something, I wonder at various times during the day and evening, what I should do. Sometimes it's like trying to fit a round peg in a square hole. Sometimes it's neither...there's a 3rd or 4th alternative. Sometimes I expect the answer to come too fast.
Sometimes the answer comes from an improbable source....a friend, something I read about in the newspaper, see on TV etc, and sometimes, just by waiting, I come up with a better answer. If that answer makes sense, and seems the right thing to do, and the timing makes sense, then I think it's Christ speaking to me, AND I SHOULD LISTEN!!! From my experience, my timing and God's timing are frequently not in sinc. We all need to do a better job of listening!
"Just do it." The phrase is well-known in our popular culture as a slogan for the sportswear giant Nike. Sometimes, I find my heart telling me to "just do it" before my mind takes over and rationalizes why I shouldn't reach out to the stranger who needs a smile, the family who could use a meal, the financially-strapped single mom at Church. The Spirit's guidance begins with a whisper for me, usually. I recognize it as a little prompting in my heart, making me uncomfortable, asking me to step outside what feels familiar. Sadly, I have had to heed it often of late, as close family and friends have endured tragedies, requiring emergency prayer. As often as I do it, people might be shocked to find out that I really don't like to pray out loud over people; I am self-conscious by nature and second-guess myself all of the time. However, I am asked to lead prayer or pray over someone in need at least once a week. My spirit wrestles with the Lord until I "just do it" and then all is calm again. Earlier, I said the Spirit's guidance "begins" with a whisper. There are times when I do not heed right away. In such cases, I have found that I need to get knocked on the head first, before I "just do it". The greatest example I have, which I have shared here before, is when I tried to sneak out the side door of Church to avoid volunteering for Catechism and ended up face to face with the head coordinator. The Lord had to literally put someone in my path to make me understand what He was calling me to do. Certainly, in the end, I benefit most from God's perfect plan -- so I don't know why I still try to run away sometimes. Perhaps my heart is hard and the Lord must keep talking to me to keep me pliable. Usable for Him.
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