When All Else Fails, God Is Still God
When All Else Fails, God Is Still God
Reflecting on the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost: Three Days after Sunday (Year C)
Scripture (semicontinuous)
Psalter: Psalm 11
Old Testament: Isaiah 24:14-23
Gospel: Luke 12:41-48
Scripture (complementary)
Psalter: Psalm 89:1-18
Old Testament: Jeremiah 33:14-26
Gospel: Luke 12:41-48
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Prayer
Lord God, friend of those in need, your Son Jesus has untied our burdens and healed our spirits. We lift up the prayers of our hearts for those still burdened, those seeking healing, those in need within the church and the world. Amen.
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Reflection
In the Lord I take refuge; how can you say to me,
“Flee like a bird to the mountains,[a]
for look, the wicked bend the bow,
they have fitted their arrow to the string,
to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart.
If the foundations are destroyed,
what can the righteous do?”
The Lord is in his holy temple;
the Lord’s throne is in heaven.
His eyes behold; his gaze examines humankind (Psalm 11:1-4).
The writer of Psalm 11 is living in tumultuous times. Even the very foundations of Israel’s way of life is threatened. The temptation is to flee far away from the threat, leave the war zone, and hopefully find some peace and quiet to live the one life that has been given. Even those around the psalmist are encouraging him to make haste away from it all as they apparently are as well.
But the response of the writer is one of faith in the God he worships. “The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven. His eyes behold; his gaze examines humankind.” When all else fails, God is still God. The psalmist’s treasure is not in the things that will rot away, but in the God who remains constantly faithful, and always in charge. That God is in control does not mean that life always goes well; it means that even when happenings are at their worst, God is still close at hand and involved. God’s eyes are never averted from our plight.
In this day, whatever challenges we may face, whatever difficulties present themselves, and whatever sorrows might come out way, God is still on the throne of heaven and that throne has come to earth in Jesus Christ in the presence of the Holy Spirit.
There’s a song that says, “God is in control. We believe that his children will not be forsaken.” In this day, come what may. God will not forsake us.
PRAYER: Creator God, you call us to love and serve you with body, mind, and spirit through loving your creation and our sisters and brothers. Open our hearts in compassion and receive these petitions on behalf of the needs of the church and the world.
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