The Lord sustains all who fail and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you. And you give them their food in due time. (Psalm 145:14-15)
This Psalm continues the theme from yesterday, but with a slightly different spin. It’s no longer the creation who waits expectantly for God, but the people of God who are learning to wait.
Psalm 145 reminds us to react differently to times of need. Instead of reworking our budget or making more lists or trying to figure out the practicalities of another 3 hours of work each week, this Psalmist wants to pause and look towards God.
Our cynical minds want to say “what good will turning to God do when I need $20 extra dollars to pay the electric bill this month?”
All the difference. The truth is when we learn to turn to God, first, in our time of distress we learn to shift our focus away from the desperation and stress of what feels to be a hopeless situation, noticing the ways God will begin to show up in little ways and big ways during our time of need.
When we turn to God, we prevent ourselves from becoming numb to the possibilities of hope, to embrace the hard emotions which come with waiting. We can’t escape from the truth of our situation and turning to God first often give sus the strength to face them not from a place of loss, but of God’s provision for us.
Notice God. Notice where people are wanting and hurting. See where you or those you love are broken. Don’t try to hide away from the truth of the reality, but learn to take the pause before God and wait first.
Questions for reflection:
What needs your attention in life right now? What feels heavy? How could you practice turning to God in those heavy times?
How have you personally experienced God’s action when you’ve taken the pause to wait for God?
Prayer: Acting God, there are so many good things in our lives, but sometimes we get lost in the heavy things, overwhelmed with the heavy stuff which comes with life in the created world. Help us remember to turn to you in the darkness. Amen.