My husband and I read Psalms 22, 141 and 143: 1-12 for our Lenten meditation. I found it interesting that despite reading the exact same passages, the parts that held significance to us were different.
- Psalm 22: 1 “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning…”
- Psalm 141: 1 “O Lord, I call to you; come quickly to
me. Hear my voice when I call to you…”
- Psalm 143: 1 “Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my supplications in your faithfulness; answer me in your righteousness…”
When reading the psalms, I was struck at how
different the prayers or “praises” to God were presented. They truly do represent a full range of
“Israel’s religious faith.” Having grown up attending a variety of different
churches (Fundamentalist, Presbyterian, Southern Baptist), I felt dismayed at
each church’s need to emphasize that their forms of worship, prayer or beliefs were
the only true way to have a meaningful
and genuine relationship with God.
Now as an adult and assisting with Church School, I am learning and
relearning parts of the Bible. I find
reassurance that there is no one way to worship and to be a servant of God.
Psalm 22 by King David refers to pain and anguish he
experienced in his commitment to God.
Ted took from this psalm that he too, finds strength from God to believe
in him and follow a path to him. The
path that we encounter will be fraught with challenges and difficult
footing. This may come in the form of
people that have different beliefs or life’s challenges that we encounter along
the way. With God’s love and support, we find strength and guidance and we
will remain strong and find our way back when we stray.
We each must find what provides the strength and
wisdom to get there. We should not feel bad or guilty if
others don’t share the same beliefs, but stay true to ourselves along the way.
(Jennifer and Ted Kremer)
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