Reflections
Psalm 145: 8-9, 10-11, 12-13 (Read)
“The Lord is good to all and
compassionate toward all his works.”
When we reflect on what God has
done for us, we remember that God
has always done good things for us.
That is God's nature – as the Psalm
says, “The Lord is gracious and
merciful and of great kindness.”
And so we pray this psalm to bless,
praise, and exalt the heavenly Father
in His perfection and in His works.
Our psalmist dwells on the everlasting
nature of God, on his love and presence
throughout all time, and we are called
to praise the Lord forever. Our psalmist
reminds us, “The Lord is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.”
We know this inherently because we live
our lives with an unending stream of divine love.
There are times when we may question
why God allows us to suffer, why He allows
“bad things to happen to good people.”
We may ask, as the early believers probably did,
“Why is it necessary to undergo such hardships
to enter the kingdom of God?”
Afflictions go hand in hand in our walk
with the Lord. We may not understand
what God is up to, but we can be sure that
our faith will be strengthened if we stand
fast in the face of suffering. We will become
better witnesses for Christ as we are humbled.
We become better servants if we bear up
with our difficulties and trust in the Lord,
as our psalmist tells us.
Endurance is a Godly quality and will help
us to get 'yoked' to Jesus. Having done that,
we, like our psalmist David, join with the
faithful and speak of the glory of God's reign
and bless His name.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. The Psalm says, 'Let all your works give you thanks, O Lord.'
Are you one of His works? Tell of how you give thanks to the Lord
and bless Him as one of His faithful ones.
2. Our psalmist speaks of the everlasting nature of God's divine love.
Describe how God's love has helped you to overcome hardship
and get 'yoked' to Jesus.
In our human condition and fallen world, trials are a part of everyday life for all. As I think back to the first week of Lent, we see Jesus walking TOWARD the desert -- knowing of the barrenness there. It's not that he seeks a time of difficulty, but he obediently follows the Spirit into the wilderness. In both his humanity and divinity, he models perseverance and faithfulness through the temptations slung at him by the enemy.
ReplyDeleteStill, my instinct is to RUN AWAY FROM problems, when I sense them brewing. After a moment has settled, I unwillingly come to terms with the fact that Jesus never promised an easy life with no hardship. He has promised to be by our side and make our burdens light(er.). We can still choose to rejoice and give thanks no matter our external circumstances; in fact, that is precisely what we're guided to do to make the journey more bearable.
If we let the prevailing conditions of our lives rule our hearts, then we risk distance from God. And yet more difficulty. In addition to praising God through the dark times, we are instructed to keep on loving one another -- one of the Gospel messages of the week.
St. Paul of the Cross said, "In times of aridity arouse your spirit gently, by acts of love... Make a bouquet of the sufferings of Jesus, and place it on the bosom of your soul."
I cannot say I have followed these words well. I find it difficult to consider the sufferings of Jesus, fashion a bouquet, and carry them on my heart. Even undesirable. But we have example after example in God's word telling us to love one another. That we must create a community of love to attract others to the power of Jesus' love.
Psalm 145 is a litany of praise for God's goodness. I praise the Lord for being "gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in mercy..." (v.8). In my strength, I cannot do what is asked of me. With him, I am empowered to love and even to embrace a problem-filled life.