Reflections
Psalm 121: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 (Read)
“Our help is from the Lord.”
The Psalm is a prayer for believers
when we are uncertain, when we face
the dangers of this world, or when we
encounter obstacles on our journey of
faith and works.
Where does our help come from?
As our psalmist says, it comes from the Lord.
Just as Moses raised up his hands and
obtained God's intervention on the side
of Israel (Sunday's 1st reading), so too the psalm
calls for us to look upward for God’s help,
“I lift up my eyes toward the mountains.”
And our psalmist reminds us, “The Lord is your
guardian.” We are obliged to pray, “May He not
suffer our foot to slip.”
We may rest assured that our Lord sends us the Holy
Spirit to safeguard us, and we give thanks that our
protector is a guard who never falls asleep at his post,
nor is He ever off duty. “May He slumber not who
guards you, indeed He neither slumbers nor sleeps.”
When we do battle with evil or injustice,
who can we turn to? Are we likely to overcome
the powers and principalities that threaten us
along the road by depending on our puny defenses?
Not so the psalm reminds us. Without the Lord as our
shade we are subject to the sun's harmful rays
and the moon's evil influences. But if we trust
in the Lord, “The Lord will guard you from all evil.”
But how do we get God’s attention when we need
His help? Jesus tells us how in the Gospel –
we are to pray with persistence, without becoming
weary, like the widow who obtains a just decision
from the unwilling judge. And as the Psalm concludes,
if our faith is strong, and we trust in the Lord,
“The Lord will guard our coming and going,
both now and forever.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist says that the Lord is beside you
at your right hand. Speak of what it is that reassures
you of the Lord's protection on your journey.
2. The Psalm is about the power of prayer and of
trust in the Lord. Give an example of how you
have persisted in prayer and obtained the Lord's help
in overcoming difficulty.
What is it that reassures you of the Lord's protection on your journey through life? I look at Carol who is peaceful and serene on the couch, as she prepares for her next Bible Study class at St. Mary's. I, on the other hand, am listening to the Business Channel on the TV and becoming more and more adjitated and concerned about "the sequester" and the USA losing it's ability to borrow even more money vs the "shutdown of worldwide capital markets." I know it's Carol that has the right idea, and I need to follow her example.
ReplyDeleteI truly believe the Lord is there protecting and guarding my family at all times and that the Holy Spirit is sent to safeguard us. We have a couple of older cars that tend to have problems here and there. Everytime we have had an issue come up with one of the cars, the Lord has been there. We always make it back home safely before something fails. There was a time we were traveling and we noticed smoke coming from the front end of the car, we made it home and at that moment the water pump gave out. There has been numerous times with different situations when a problem arises either before we leave the house or the minute we return. The Lord guards our coming and going by keeping us safe at all times. Thank you Lord for protecting us.
ReplyDeleteI truly believe the Lord is there protecting and guarding my family at all times and that the Holy Spirit is sent to safeguard us. We have a couple of older cars that tend to have problems here and there. Every time we have had an issue come up with one of the cars, the Lord has been there. We always make it back home safely before something fails. There was a time we were traveling and we noticed smoke coming from the front end of the car; we made it home and at that moment the water pump gave out. There have been numerous times with different situations when a problem arises either before we leave the house or the minute we return. The Lord guards our coming and going by keeping us safe at all times. Thank you Lord for protecting us.
ReplyDelete