Deut. 11:18-28
Heb. 5:1-10
John 4:1-26
Psalm 138
1I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise;
2I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness; for you have exalted your name and your word above everything.
3On the day I called, you answered me, you increased my strength of soul.
4All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O LORD, for they have heard the words of your mouth.
5They shall sing of the ways of the LORD, for great is the glory of the LORD.
6For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly; but the haughty he perceives from far away.
7Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies; you stretch out your hand, and your right hand delivers me.
8The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.
This psalm is a wonderful prayer of praise. It can be easy during Lent to think only in terms of confession and denial. We are fasting and taking on extra study disciplines, but today we are blessed by this jubilant song of praise and the dramatic reminder that “the Lord will fulfill his purpose for me”.
What do you think of when you read those words? Have you stopped to consider that God has a purpose for you? You are part of God’s plan for the Kingdom. That’s a pretty amazing statement. The psalmist reviews ways in which God has helped him (or her). It is quite a litany of strengthening faith, lifting up the lowly, saving of life and deliverance.
I called, you answered me, you increased my strength of soul
…though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies
…you stretch out your hand, and your right hand delivers me
God has a plan for each of us and will not “forsake the work of [God’s] hands.” When we turn to the Lord and think about all God does for us, then with the psalmist we can “sing of the ways of the Lord.” With such a God, why would we fear? In our Lenten journey, as we seek to form a closer relationship to God and God’s purpose, it is appropriate that we stop and give thanks for the times when the Lord sustained, strengthened, and protected us.
That doesn't meant there won't be challenges. We can feel like Don Quixote jousting at windmills and being thrown to the ground. Ultimately, with God’s help, like Don Quixote we triumph. Difficulties can draw us close to God if we let them. God doesn’t cause problems and pain and sorrow, but God walks with us through any crisis and uses it to empower us for the purpose we were created to fulfill.
As Quixote sings in Man of La Mancha, we can:To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go
To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star
This is my quest
To follow that star
No matter how hopeless
No matter how far
To fight for the right
Without question or pause
To be willing to march into Hell
For a heavenly cause
And I know if I'll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest
And the world will be better for this
That one man, scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star
For your journal: Write about a time when you felt God’s presence strengthening or protecting you. Do you think that this experience and God’s “steadfast love” has developed your purpose in life?
