Too long, Lord,
have I stumbled in this darkness alone.
When will I hear from You?
Too many are these terrifying thoughts,
these painful worries breeding in the dark chambers of my hidden fears.
My body clenches like a bow string ready to snap;
my heart leaps and stutters.
When will You restore me to the quiet rhythm of your presence?
I search for You until my eyes ache.
I listen but hear only the mocking of the enemy
taunting my faith,
ridiculing my weakness.
This lovely story of a woman’s adoring act appears in the midst of an ugly conspiracy to secretly arrest and murder Jesus. The woman picks her way through a room full of men having supper and bravely approaches the notorious rabbi. Then she astonishes everyone with an outrageous demonstration of devotion. We can’t know if she’s guessed that Jesus will soon die a criminal’s death that would deny him the customary burial anointing, but Jesus accepts her ministrations in that spirit.
O Lord, my God,
I am desperate for your truth!
Is no one honest anymore?
Whichever way I turn, I am assaulted by liars.
Greedy for control, they pervert what is true and right.
They grind justice and integrity into dust beneath their heels.
I fear the sly ones,
those who exploit my vanity and target my anxieties.
Would that my God would cut off their flattering lips
before they can sell me on an overblown image of myself.
Would that He would silence their maligning tongues
that shame me into believing I am too damaged to be loved.
Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
Peace can be more than the mere absence of conflict or anxiety.
Followers of Christ can enjoy peace in the midst of troubling circumstances because we place our hope in God’s goodness, sovereignty, and unshakable love for us.
A meditation on forgiveness inspired by Psalm 11. My soul knows that God is my strong fortress. Yet when calamity strikes, my fear says, “Run! Protect yourself! Build up your bank account so that no one can harm you. Vote for the right politician, and troubles will disappear. Hide your imperfections, and people will […]
