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?
ReplyDeleteThere is so much truth to unearth in this Psalm reading. First of all, I have not regularly practiced the Liturgy of the Hours prayer, but I understand that Psalm 95 is the hymn that opens this prayer on most mornings. Most likely written by David, I love that the words encourage us to begin the day with praise and singing. In verses 1 and 2, we see the phrase "...Let us make a joyful noise..." I remember playing Christian lullabies to my children when they were babies; the idea of "making a joyful noise" was a common theme. I find comfort in being like an infant in the comforting arms of Jesus, to begin my day.
Within a few lines, the imagery of the Psalm is no longer joyful, but rather stern to me. The Psalmist writes of the shepherd herding his sheep, and we are exhorted to listen and NOT harden our hearts or test our Father.
It makes sense to ponder and pray such words, so that we live our days in bold faith. All of the readings for this week exemplify trusting God completely, no matter what the worldly circumstances look like. Only God truly sees from his eternal perspective and therefore his timing is perfect, although we may not understand.
If I focus on what I do not understand, I will never act on God's promptings. If I override the desire to comprehend, and just follow the signs of the Spirit, then I believe I am carrying out the will of God. I am sometimes overwhelmed and weary from the enemy's attacks; this is when I say "God fight for me." I am sometimes too self-conscious to console a stranger in need; this is when I say "Lord, shine through me." Like the apostles in the Gospel, I find myself asking for more faith, so that my heart might be softened. Pliable. Moldable into his likeness. In my weakness, is his strength.