“In
You, O Lord, I put my trust; let me never be put to shame. Deliver me in
Your righteousness, and cause me to escape. Incline Your ear to me and
save me. Be my strong refuge to which I may resort continually; You have
given the commandment to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress.” Psalm 71:1-3
Today
seems to be one of those days that, starting early, is filled with the faithful
facing great challenges and being unsure of which way to turn. Fear can overwhelm
us when we lose our confidence, when we begin to question our lives and the
trials we are forced to endure.
Yet
the psalmist refuses to let go of the Lord! It is important to remember
that these psalms are much more than mere liturgy or empty prayers for ancient
Israel; the psalms express Israel’s enduring heart for the Lord in spite of
being surrounded by enemies and dealing with apostates from within – these
prayers express Israel’s actual experiences! The expressions reflect much
of what we face today as well, so the psalms help us to find the right words
when our own words may fail us.
Our
Lord assures us of His presence in many ways, so let US “incline OUR ear to
HIM” and listen carefully. What we hear may not be what we want to
hear, but we have the assurance of faith that what we hear will be what we need
to hear; for “You are [indeed our] rock and [our] fortress” when
all else fails us.
Blessings,
Michael
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