Loving God of calm and peace, in the storms that may rage in the life of this dear reader, may Your Presence be known in a calming way; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text for today comes from Psalm 13: 1 Long enough, God - you've ignored me long enough. I've looked at the back of your head 2 Long enough I've carried this ton of trouble, lived with a stomach full of pain. Long enough my arrogant enemies have looked down their noses at me. 3 Take a good look at me, God, my God; I want to look life in the eye, 4 So no enemy can get the best of me or laugh when I fall on my face. 5 I've thrown myself headlong into your arms - I'm celebrating your rescue. 6 I'm singing at the top of my lungs, I'm so full of answered prayers. (The Message)
There have been nights when our pillows soak up more than the sweat from the toil of our daily work. Those are the nights that without warning we have wept and wept long into the pillow, hoping our tears won't disturb those near us. My first night away at college I wept. Earlier that day as my family drove off I thought I was finally a man. Later a new friend invited me to the movies and I caught myself saying, "Let me go in and ask..." A man does not need permission from anybody! Or so I thought. I met my new roommate who was an upperclassman (Sophmore in a junior college!) and thought I could learn more about being a cool man for he wore expensive aviator glasses and drove a convertible import sports car. That night I wept like a baby. I wept because I realized I was away from home and as cool and as freeing I thought it would be, I knew I missed them. There have been other nights that I have wept and I believe the psalmist was no different from me nor you. The difference is that he put his thoughts to paper and shared them with others to read. This psalm is the result of his feeling alone and apart from God. In the Psalm he is telling God that no longer does he want to feel this way like he's facing only the back of God's head. He wants to have the sort of relationship where he can let it all out and know that God has not only heard but has responded.
Guess what? God does listen. God hears. God answers. The answers are not always yes. But we rejoice in knowing that we can and most of us do have that sort of relationship with God. And my our lives reflect the bountifulness of answered prayers.
PRAYER: God of our love and our need, may today be a day when more will see the rich ways that answered prayers have blessed my life and can bless theirs as well. Help me to help others know of the great relationship they can have with you. I ask this in the name of Christ Jesus my Lord and my Savior, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.
Eradio Valverde
