Reflections
“Come, says my heart, seek God’s face;
Your face, Lord, do I seek!”
Our psalmist, David, puts into words
what we feel in our hearts, which is
to seek a right relationship with
the Lord. We are drawn to the Lord;
we wish to speak to Him face to face,
to be in His presence, to listen to
His Word, and to serve Him faithfully.
We may not have the faith of Abraham
(Genesis 15:6), but we know that
a right relationship with the Lord is
key for us, because without that close
relationship, we have little chance
of salvation. Our psalmist knows the
critical importance of salvation,
“Do not forsake me, God, my savior.”
Few of us will be able to speak directly
with God, but God makes himself
accessible to us through His Son, Jesus.
And in this Sunday's 2nd reading,
St Paul promises that our own bodies
will be changed, to conform with Christ’s
glorified body. (Philippians 3:21)
This is how our own personal transfiguration
takes place.
What can we do to be sure we share in
Christ’s glory? St Paul tells the brothers
in Philippi, “Stand firm in the Lord.”
And our psalmist agrees, “Wait for the Lord,
take courage, be stouthearted, wait for
the Lord.”
What better way for us to stand firm in
the Lord than to commune with Him in
prayer, to worship Him, to be transformed
by Him, as were those disciples that day
when Jesus was transfigured on the
mountain. (Luke 9:29) Having been
transformed, we, like the disciples,
will be emboldened in our faith --
“Of whom should I be afraid?”
In our day to day battles against evil forces,
we need not fear anyone, for He is our refuge.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist seeks God's face. Does your heart seek a right
relationship with the Lord? Speak of how you are drawn to the Lord,
and how He makes himself accessible to you.
2. The season of Lent can be a time of transformation for us. But we
cannot change our hearts by ourselves; we all need the Lord's help,
as does our psalmist, 'You are my helper; cast me not off.' Tell of how
you are becoming a better person with the help of the Lord.
Our psalmist, David says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?” and, "He is the stronghold of my life. In the day of trouble you hide me and keep me safe."
ReplyDeleteI can see David’s unwavering strong faith and confidence in God in time of fear and trials. He experienced God’s goodness and grace when his life was threatened by King Saul. Those kinds of fear: fear of death, or fear of rejection, uncertainty, and sickness, sometimes imprison us within ourselves at one time or another. But If we stand firm in the Lord, we can conquer and dispel the darkness of the fear like David did, by saying confidently, “The Lord is my light and my salvation.” By worshipping and praising Him, I wish to confess that my desire is to live in God’s presence each day of my life.
In Genesis 15:5, God asks Abraham, "Look up to heaven.” In the Gospel, Jesus gives Peter, James, and John a vision of his heavenly glory, during the Transfiguration. St Paul reminds us that our citizenship is in heaven. I should keep that in mind and stand firm in the Lord. Since my ultimate goal is to be in heaven with Jesus, I want to fix my eyes on heaven and also to focus on Jesus’s promise.
I pray that the Holy Spirit will show me his love and mercy so that I can stay close to him during the season of Lent for my own transformation. I admit there is nothing I can do for myself without the help of the Holy Spirit.
During the Lent season I'll acknowledge my sins and wrongdoings In order to become a better person. I'll determine to make amends. I will resolve to change my life, asking Jesus to show me the areas in which I offended him so badly. I desire to establish a right relationship with him by praying and staying in his presence, seeking his face every day of my life. In order to see you more clearly I will look up to Heaven in prayer every day. Lord, help me to seek your face so I can catch a glimpse of you. You are my light and my salvation.