March 4, 2013

For March 4^th I chose to work with Psalm 77. The main idea of this passage is that no matter if it does not seem like God is watching over us, he always is. I think this perfectly describes why I love being an Episcopalian – because we are taught from a young age that no matter if we have doubt in our faith we are assured that God is still watching over us and will always love and forgive us.

The first part of the psalm is written as the following:

¹ I cry aloud to God,
aloud to God, that he may hear me.
² In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
my soul refuses to be comforted.
³ I think of God, and I moan;
I meditate, and my spirit faints

This explains how we often cry to God for help. However, it also says “my soul refuses to be comforted.” This refers to how sometimes it may feel that God is not there for us. Doubt runs through our minds as expressed later in the psalm:

⁷ Will the Lord spurn for ever,
and never again be favourable?
⁸ Has his steadfast love ceased for ever?
Are his promises at an end for all time?
⁹ Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has he in anger shut up his compassion?

My take on this is that there is always one thing to remember: if it feels like God is not helping you, he has a reason for putting you through something and he has confidence that you can get through it on your own. The psalm next reminds the reader that God is always good, and if you have doubt in this, it is okay, but that does not mean he will stop being good. The solution for this doubt is to remember all the things God has done for you in the past.

¹⁰ And I say, ‘It is my grief
that the right hand of the Most High has changed.’
¹¹ I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord;
I will remember your wonders of old.
¹² I will meditate on all your work,
and muse on your mighty deeds.
¹³ Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is so great as our God?
¹⁴ You are the God who works wonders;
you have displayed your might among the peoples.
¹⁵ With your strong arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.

When you have doubt, think of those little unexplained miracles – for example, when you think you have lost something really important then finding it in a place you swear you have already looked. No matter what happens, God has a plan and in that plan, everything works out in the end. After all, God created the Earth around us and everything on it. He sees the future of every one of us. He plans what is going to happen and if his plan does not seem desirable or it seems as if he is not there for us, that is untrue. At points in our lives when our faith is strong, weak, or even non-existent, God is behind everything we do and is always there for us. Everything that God gives us in our daily lives shapes us to be the people we are today.

~ Cassandra Clemente