Whatever we are waiting for - peace of mind, contentment, grace, the inner awareness of simple abundance - it will surely come to us, but only when we are ready to receive it with an open and grateful heart. - Sarah Ban Breathnach
The Bell of Peace in Mösern near Telfs was erected to mark the 25th anniversary of the Alpine Area Work Group (ARGE ALP). The bell symbolises cross bordering peace initiatives and friendships made between the people of the Alpine Area. The bell weighs over 10 tonnes. The largest swinging bell in the Alpine Area was designed by Tirolese architect Hubert Prachensky and cast by famous Grassmayr Bell Foundry at Innsbruck. The bell is swung daily at 5:00pm as well as on special occasions.
Faith in times of Crisis 19 by Dr J P Hunter
Psalm 13 New International Version (NIV)
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
3 Look on me and answer, Lord my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
4 and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
6 I will sing the Lord’s praise,
for he has been good to me.
Meditation
On occasion, we need to express directly to God our problem to be able to put it in perspective.
In this Psalm of personal lament, without any introduction, David expresses his impatience and distress in the first two verses by using the phrase “how long” four times. David’s complaint is about the absence of God and he urges Him to act: else I die, else my enemies will say or else my foes rejoice.
It seems to him, and also to us in our individual situations, that suffering and evil go unchecked and we wonder when God is going to stop them.
Having expressed his anguish, there is relief and previously lost balance is restored. David is able to re-discover his underlying, firmly held belief and trust in God. No matter how long he would have to wait for God’s justice to be realised, he would trust in God’s love, in his salvation. He is able to see again that the Lord has been good to him and he ends in praise.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, it is so good to know that whenever we are burdened or over-burdened, we can come to you and express our innermost to you. For you are a listening God, even though our earthly eye cannot see you, you are there and you are near. Thank you for accepting my prayer. Thank you that you care for me. So, I will put my trust in you and place my life into your hands. Amen.
Hymn - Singing the Faith 635, verse 1 and refrain.
1 My troubled soul, why so weighed down?
You were not made to bear this heavy load.
Cast all your burdens upon the Lord;
Jesus cares, he cares for you.
I will praise the mighty name of Jesus,
praise the Lord, the lifter of my head.
Praise the Rock of my salvation,
all my days are in his faithful hands.
Robert Critchley (b. 1959)
No comments:
Post a Comment