THE LORD HEARS YOUR VOICE
“In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.” Psalm 18
Are you overwhelmed with the pandemic and ensuing “shutdown”, the climate crisis, wars and repeated mass shootings? Do you feel alone in the world? Have you been betrayed by loved ones or feel abandoned by friends? If so, you are in good company. Each of today’s readings reflects a beloved child of God (the prophet Jeremiah, the Psalmist, and even Jesus Christ) who feels abandoned and is facing persecution and probable death for testifying to the truth.
In today’s first reading, the prophet Jeremiah calls out to God for help – he has been overtaken by his enemies, even his former friends have betrayed him; he feels “Terror on every side!”. We are living in painful and difficult days, as were the people of today’s readings. I remember a time in my life when I was suffering terribly. I had been deeply betrayed and felt completely alone. In desperation, I cried out to God to take away my pain. The response I heard was, “do not pray for the pain to go away, pray for the strength to get through it.” This changed everything for me, I felt God assuring me that he was with me, that I could endure what I was going through, and that it would not last forever.
Suffering, pain and loss are part of the human experience, denying this reality will not make it “go away.” But, as Christians, we can trust that God is with us in our pain, confusion and “terror”. And, as Christians, we can have faith that this is not the end of “the story.” We are a people of hope. Jesus’ life, ultimately, is one of great triumph, of resurrection. Today’s Psalmist reminds us that when we call upon the Lord in our distress, he hears our voice!
Where do you sense God in the world right now? What do you need to pray for in order to help you in difficult times?
Mary Schimmoller