Reflections
“The Lord is my light and my salvation.”The Psalm is about trusting the Lord and our desire to spend the rest of our days in His presence. The Psalm says, "One thing I ask of the Lord; this I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.”
Perhaps this desire to be with
the Lord is what inspired Simon
Peter and his brother Andrew
that day by the Sea of Galilee,
when they left their father and
their nets to follow Jesus and
be his disciples (Sunday's Gospel).
Surely, Peter and Andrew recognized
Jesus as their own personal light
and their own personal Savior.
As the Psalm says, "The Lord is
my light and my salvation."
As we grow older, we too take steps
on our journey to be with the Lord,
to enter His house. Recall that Jesus
said, “My house has many mansions.”
It is no accident that older people
want to go to daily Mass and be with
the Lord as much as possible. They
are called to that promise of eternal
joy when they may “gaze on the
loveliness of the Lord” all the days
of their lives.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Two verses of the Psalm assure us that we should not fear, or be afraid
of anyone, so long as the Lord is our refuge and our salvation. How do you
apply these verses to your daily life?
2. Our psalmist asks, "To dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life
that I may gaze on the loveliness of the Lord." Where is the house of the Lord,
and how do you believe you will get there?
This psalm was written by King David while he was being chased by jealous King Saul in the desert. And also his life had been threatened by his rebellious son Absalom.
ReplyDeleteHe went through trial and isolation. The fear must have imprisoned him. On the other hand he had to learn to wait on God for his promise to be fulfilled to reign as a future appointed king.
He had been anointed King by Samuel at a young age.
He had to wait for God to fulfill his anointing. During the pain, fear and loneliness he faithfully waited. He had learned this lesson through those fearful, life threatening experiences.
God is worth waiting for. Because God uses our waiting
period to make us refreshed, and renew and teach us the right way to go.
I see how David’s confidence and faith in God kept him alive. The Lord is my light and Salvation—
Whom shall I fear?
He focused on God and sought him in his temple.
He desired to live in the presence of the Lord and enjoy his
relationship with Him for the rest of his life.
1. Even if we are imprisoned with fear and life threatening danger. In case the devil attacks us in one way or the other I can resist him and cast him out by saying with confidence and strong belief ,,,
He is my refuge and salvation no matter what kind of dangerous situation I am in; I will wait patiently in his time for my being delivered because He loves me. And trusting and believing in him makes me feel refreshed and renews my soul. Again whenever fear grips me,
I repeat these verses over and over again in my daily life.
2. That place is wherever God exists (the tabernacle or temple in his mind or the ark of the covenant.)
In this case I think it indicates the house of the Lord (Church) where we gather together in the name of the Lord, those who are seeking the presence of the Lord by praying and worshipping and reading the Bible professing the same faith.
DeleteI agree with the above comment. David recognizes that God is his ultimate shield of armor. And if God says to wait, then we must wait -- in both the military-strategic sense, and in general life.
With God, we can be assured that his light is our strength and protection. He is our refuge and sanctuary. His love never fails, These are all powerful and reassuring truths.
However, it's the waiting that I find difficult. Verse 14 says, 'Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord!" The waiting is what molds and refines our hearts to be like his. The waiting cultivates complete trust in him and his goodness. The waiting.... is hard.
David waits to be king at the appointed time. Joseph waits in prison before being raised up to a place of honor in the land. Going back further in history, Abraham waited 25 years from the time he was promised an heir through his wife Sarah, despite her old age. And look what happened when they got tired of waiting -- Sarah arranges for Abraham to sleep with her maid Hagar, who gives birth to Ishmael -- at odds with the promised son Isaac for life. Ishmael is the father of Islam -- a religion that profoundly differs from Christianity, as they believe they are the chosen ones of God, through the last prophet Mohammed.
When we rush the plan, we create problems. God can still work good through the mess, but it often entails much stress and pain. For an easier, more peaceful life, may we each learn to TRUST GOD while in his WAITING ROOM... to embrace where he has placed us in life and bloom when he says so.