So yesterday I jumped ahead (which is what happens when you write your blog after midnight... you get confused about the date, since it technically IS the next day) and put the readings for the 29th (today). So here are the readings for yesterday (the 28th) and my reflection.
The thing that jumps out at me today is the wonderful juxtaposition in the Psalm. The Psalmist is not in a happy place... he is being tormented by enemies. BUT. He continues to say "Why am I so sad? I will rejoice in God."
My favorite part of this is in verse 8 where he says "Each day the LORD pours his unfailing love upon me." Every day. Unfailing. He is that, to us. He shines his sun and pours his rain on us every day, all of us. Not just on those who do what he wants. Not just the "good people". But he gives his blessings to all of us. He "pours down his unfailing love" on all of us, every day.
Do you feel like that isn't true in your life? Are you missing out on the sunlight of God's love pouring down on you each day? Maybe you're standing in a shadow. Like in the picture above, the sunlight pours down indiscriminately on the entire earth. But if you're standing in shadow, it might not feel like it.
What shadow might you be in? Bitterness? Are you hanging on to a grudge? Are you stuck in the circular thinking of hatred? Or are you in none of the above, but you still feel like you're in a shadow?
Well, you can probably guess what I suggest you do. Pray about it. Ask God to reveal to you what it is that is pushing you into the shadow, missing out on the sunlight of his love that is pouring down on you each day. If he shows you that you're holding a grudge, forgive the person. Whatever it is, let it go. If you feel like it's too hard to let go (someone hurt you badly?) then ask for his help to let it go. Believe me, he wants to help. He wants you to be free of that thing that holds you back, and to walk in the soul warming sunlight of his love.
Why is my soul sad? I will put my hope in God. I will praise him again, my Savior and my God!
2 comments:
That picture is gorgeous. Into marvelous light I'm running.
I once was fatherless
A stranger with no hope
Your kindness wakened me
Awakened me, from my sleep
Your love it beckons deeply
A call to come and die
By grace now I will come
And take this life, take Your life
Sin has lost it's power
Death has lost it's sting
From the grave you've risen
Victoriously!
Into marvelous light I'm running
Out of darkness, out of shame
By the cross You are the truth
You are the life, You are the way
My dead heart now is beating
My deepest stains now clean
Your breath fills up my lungs.
Now I'm free, now I'm free!
Lift my hands and spin around
See the light that I have found
Oh the marvelous light
Marvelous light...
So well stated Jeff, Marcia that was beautiful. Now as Jeff knows my biggest struggle of the books of the Bible is Job. Over the next three readings( I read ahead) I will share my thoughts and my deeper understanding of the story of Job. Each of Jobs friends were missing the mark on what was going on with Job. They believed that Job had unconfessed sins in his life. But they didn't know what was going on in heaven between God and satan. They were looking at their own lives and basing what they saw happening on their own life not the life of Job. Job on the other hand was reacting to their remarks and criticism of him instead of keeping his eyes as he always had done on God. Giving satan control of him through his friends causing Job to sin with pride of being right. That's all for today...stay tuned....
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