June 18, 2020
Psalm 69:16-18 … “Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.” vs. 16
Sometimes life seems to drag on and on with no discernible changes in our circumstances or condition. In those moments our feelings of impatience are often reflected in our prayers. Since we’ve been told and have come to believe that our Lord is full of steadfast love and abundant mercy, it’s hard to understand why our situation continues to be miserable. Why is there no answer from this loving Lord that we’ve served for all of our lives? And as God remains silent, like the Psalmist, we can’t help but respond with a “For Pete’s sake, Lord, hurry up! I can’t hold out much longer on my own!” It’s like we’re in a giant waiting room with hundreds of people all holding a number, and the numbers are being called randomly instead of consecutively—and ours never gets called! It’s even more aggravating when people who showed up after us get their numbers called before us, and we wonder at the injustice of the system. If God really is full of abundant mercy, why do we remain so miserable! The big question is: how long should we go on praying? Maybe we should just give up! That sounds good sometimes, except for one thing: if we give up we have no hope at all! And so we keep on praying, and in the praying itself we find the relief we crave! It really is a miracle!
Thought for the Day: What benefits does the process of praying give?
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