Focus

Be still and rest in the Lord.

Read

Psalm 116:1-4 (NRSV)

I love the LORD, because he has heard
my voice and my supplications.
Because he inclined his ear to me,
therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
The snares of death encompassed me;
the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
I suffered distress and anguish.
Then I called on the name of the LORD:
“O LORD, I pray, save my life!”

Reflect

One of my favorite activities is fishing. I love to sit beside the river or sit in my kayak with a fishing rod waiting for the next bite. Some days I catch several fish and other days I go home without even having gotten a nibble. Yet regardless of how many fish I catch, it is always a good day. It is always rewarding, because as I sit there in the silence of nature, I have a great opportunity to speak to the God who created, calls, redeems, and provides for me. I have the chance to offer praise for all that God has done for me. I also have the chance to share with God my burdens and my pains.

The great thing about talking to God is that I have never been turned away. God has never been too busy for me. God has never failed to answer. God has always “heard my voice and my supplications.”

While people may not have the time or the solutions for us, we know the One who is always present and all-knowing. While people may act as if we are a burden, we have a God who is not burdened by us, but wants us to share our needs. As the psalmist says, God “inclined his ear to me.” If God desires to hear from us, and always answers us, shouldn’t we follow the example of the psalmist and call on God as long as we live?

Pray

Caring God, you tell us that you want to hear from us. You call us to lay our burdens at your feet. We cannot thank you enough for the chance to share with you our pains and our joys. We cannot praise you enough for the fact that you not only hear us, but that you answer us. We praise you for being our God. Amen.

Go with God.