"Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God, who made heaven and
earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith
forever; who executes justice for the oppressed; who
gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners
free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord
lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the
righteous. . . . Praise the Lord." (Psalm 146:5-8)
"Finding Our Help in God"
To find our need for God, we sometimes have to journey away
from the safety and security of home, the job, or whatever it is
that has become our source of refuge away from God. It is
unnatural for most of us to abandon the secure confines of our
normal routines: the television, the computer, the newspaper,
another cigaret, the alcohol or drug habit. But in order to move
into the deeper spiritual life we must turn ourselves towards the
One who is always faithful, the One who the psalmist has found
trustworthy. Our challenge is to care enough about ourselves to
want to recognize where true living comes from.
It is not as severe a journey as it may sound, all that is
required is for us to retreat into the wilderness – to go to the
place where it is quiet. The need is to get to the place where the
wind can be heard as it rustles through the tall grass or blows
through the trees of our lives. Becoming attentive to Life that is
beyond our own -- we begin to sense creation’s Source,
possibilities for inner renewal draw close. You may even find this
place in your imagination, what is necessary is to get quiet even
as the trees are quiet in their growth toward winter dormancy --
the time of unseen growth.
Finding ourselves in this place can allow the words from the
psalmist to take on new meaning in our lives. From a state of
quiet, there can come the realization that true happiness in life
is not derived from what society around us can give, but from what
God alone gives to those who live their days with hope in him.
Blessings are not the summation of acquired goods, but in knowing
the truth that God’s love sets us free to rejoice in that hope.
Whether you have much or little should not detract from your joy
in the Lord.
The psalmist from our passage written above has apparently
thought long and hard about where true joy lies. True joy comes to
those who hear the eternal voice that speaks in the rustling of
autumn leaves and is contained in the swaying of the fall grasses.
This is the God of faithfulness and justice, the one who lifts up
the oppressed and loves the righteous. Get on the Way, seek the
attributes of God for your life, and as you journey – be listening
and looking to reconnect with the true Source of joy. For it takes
us some time to remove ourselves from the trappings of life in
order to view God for who God is "The one who . . . "
The Peace of Christ be yours, now and forever.
Amen
Pastor Jon
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