Getting the order right
Give thanks to the Lord, for his mercy endures forever. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. – from Psalm 118
None of us has lived beyond our life span. We have only histories of the thousand generations that came before. And no, we cannot know the future. We have today.
There are two imperatives in this psalm, action items described centuries ago. Give thanks. And take refuge in the Lord. These are doings of the moment. They do not require acute foreknowledge or insight from the past. They are not simple, but they can be done.
We are human beings, not human doings. Still, deciding what I’ll do and how I’ll do it takes up an inordinate amount of my thinking time. I think that’s because I fail to start well. The psalm keeps this starting simple: What am I grateful for today, right now? And then show me today how to trust you Lord, show me how to trust you to take the lead in my life.
What can I discard so this trust is not so elusive? Let me be patient with myself as God is patient with me. God’s love and mercy endure forever.
Our neighbor’s dog Chloe eats her food so fast that she has a bowl with obstacles built into it to slow her down. Over Thanksgiving, while we were watching her, Chloe hurt her leg when she was running pell-mell around the back yard, with no idea of how to slow down.
But then, when I rubbed her neck and massaged her ears, Chloe settled in. Even her breathing slowed. She looked at me, and there was no place else she’d rather be.
There you go, David.
Let God massage your ears.
It’s the best way by far to spend the time I’m given.
Lord, my skin crawls with the need to move on, figure things out, insure success. Soothe me and help me, Lord, to be patient as I get used to your touch. It is only there my refuge lies.
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http://www.davesandel.net/category/advent-and-christmas-devotions-2017/
http://www.christiancounselingservice.com/archived_devotions.php?article_id=1621
