Reflections
“The eyes of the Lord are upon those who
fear Him, to deliver them from death.”The Psalm is praise for God’s providence,
the blessings He gives us. “The Lord fills
the earth with goodness. His works are
trustworthy.”
We may not have the faith of Abraham
(Genesis 12:1-4), but we can be sure
the Lord’s eyes are upon us – “The
Lord’s eyes are upon those who hope
for His gracious help.” As our psalmist
says, “O Lord, we have put our hope
in you.”
In Sunday's 2nd reading, St Paul says
that God has saved us and called us to
a holy life. (2 Timothy 1:9)
The Psalmist confirms this – “We are
delivered from death, kept alive in times
of famine.” We may not be starving for
physical food, but we could face spiritual
death from sin if we were not saved by
our Lord Jesus.
“The eyes of the Lord are upon those
who fear Him, to deliver them from death.”
Remember, the wages of sin is death, and
we are all afflicted. Fortunately for us,
Christ destroyed death and brought life,
as St Paul says (2 Timothy 1:10),
so it is natural that we openly ask for His
help and His protection. He is our shield
in the spiritual battle that we all have to fight.
“Our soul waits for the Lord, who is our help
and our shield.”
If we trust in the Lord, His eyes will be upon
us so long as we count ourselves among
those who fear Him, and we can expect
to receive His grace.
Through His goodness we can expect a
transfiguration of our own, and that same light
which shone from Jesus' face that day on
Mt Tabor can be a source of light for us
and those around us. “We have put our hope
in you, O Lord.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. As our psalmist says, the Lord's eyes are upon us, and that is a good thing
because of His saving grace. Speak of how you depend on God's providence
to preserve you as you go about your daily life amidst the world's attractions.
2. The Psalm assures us that God's love and mercy will be granted to us, as we place our trust in Him. Give an example of how you have trusted in the Lord and how you have benefited from His kindness.
2. The Psalm assures us that God's love and mercy will be granted to us, as we place our trust in Him. Give an example of how you have trusted in the Lord and how you have benefited from His kindness.
I almost misread the first question above, as ... how do I go about daily life amidst the world's DISTRACTIONS. The question reads, ATTRACTIONS. "Distractions" to me, signals that I know where I am supposed to go and how I am supposed to live, but the world tempts me otherwise. "Attractions" makes me think of being more lost, and not even having an orientation of God's way.
ReplyDeleteEither way, my answer is similar. Why? Because God's grace and providence run so very deep, like his mercy. So deep that we cannot sin so much as to be unreachable. And let's say I am in a particularly obedient season of life, God still treats me with tenderness when I misunderstand. I do not blame Peter, James, or John for feeling awesome fear at the Transfiguration or wanting to build altars for Moses, Elijah, and Jesus. In the moment, that is what they thought they were supposed to do. But the Gospel shows us that after their mistake, "Jesus came and touched them saying, 'Rise and have no fear." (Matthew 17:7)
Whether we are walking close to the Lord, as the disciples were, or feeling far away, God's eye is "...on those who fear him, on those who hope in his merciful love." (Psalm 33:18)
... HOPE IN HIS MERCIFUL LOVE... Waking up each day with the gift of hope -- of joyful expectations... is crucial to my well-being. If I am ever low on my supply, I pray to be filled and re-filled. I get alone with God, whether through nature walks or huddled in my prayer closet. I sing praises. I review my gratitude list. I fellowship with sisters in the body of Christ. Through these various methods, my heart is preserved and set right with God. If I stumble, I just reset and start again.