Surely God is my help;
the Lord is the one who sustains me.
the Lord is the one who sustains me.
--Psalm 54:4
I awake often very early in the morning and this is a view not far from my house. Granted Mt. Rainier is more often shrouded behind a wall of gray and rain, but when it is clear the sight is magnificent. No picture can do it justice.
Anyway, I wake up before dawn most mornings with the words already formed and foremost in my mind: "O Lord, from whence cometh my help?" Immediately, the rote answer comes: "My help is in the Lord." This is an every day occurrence. This is followed by a heavy sigh for there is then a swarming of all the things that are stressing me out: finances and relationships principle among them.
As I have aged I feel as though I have gotten dumber. There is a mushrooming amount of "stuff" about life I do not know, and what I thought I knew it turns out I didn't. So, in the process of having tmy 20 or 30-something confidence in life shattered, I greet each day knowing only two things: 1) Anything can happen, and 2) God is there before it does with open arms ready to gather me in and sustain me through even the most difficult of circumstances. Are the circumstances easier? No, not really, not at all. But, what is easier is knowing that in the end, God has a sustaining, ever-present cushion that will catch me and that is enough for me to know.
Prayer:
Sustaining God, hold us through this day and help us to bravely lift our faces to the rising sun. Whatever befall us grant us the will to look behind difficulty for the positive. Bless us in this quest and grant us the help we need to keep walking onward. Amen
Interestingly enough, our Sunday sermon was about this same topic. Help. This year our church's overall them is "God is BIG enough". Our sermon on Sunday was delivered by the Celebrate Recovery minster, big black man with a booming voice and an infectious sense of humor. I loved him! His sermon was titled "Rescue Me from Me". I'll find the link to the church sermon archive. Anyway, what I got out of the words he spoke: We all take the path of destruction, only about 50% committed to our belief in God. And yet, Jesus provides all things we need. God just asks us to show up. He's made provisions for us - for our needs and our lives. "My hope is there - take it! Praise me! Then I will shop up and make you whole in Jesus again." Seems like your morning ritual is showing up and more, opening your heart so God can talk to you. I'd forgotten how important that is. I've fallen into the habit of relying on myself instead of God. I get it wrong more than I get it right. I fear more than I believe and hence, 2011 will be about reconnection and laying things at the foot of the Lord. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and the lovely picture. Peace. Patti Ann
ReplyDeleteThe sermon was actually titled: "Getting Rid of the Grasshopper Mentality". Here's the link to the archive if you're interested:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.firstmethodistmansfield.org/worship--messages/sermons/