Psalm 138
1 I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
2 I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted your name and your word
above everything.
3 On the day I called, you answered me;
you increased my strength of soul.
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth.
5 They shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord.
6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he perceives from far away.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies;
you stretch out your hand,
and your right hand delivers me.
8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.
3 On the day I called, you answered me; you increased my strength of soul.
The meeting was coming up in an hour. I had been agonizing for weeks about what to say and where God was leading the group next. I still had no idea what I was going to do. That’s a terrible feeling for a leader, who is expected to come into every situation prepared with either an answer or a plan. I was at wit’s end. I got up and walked down to the Sanctuary to pray but, when I got there, I just got angry. “OK, Jesus, you called me into this so you’re going to have to help me out because I have no idea what to do!”
An hour later, I walked into the meeting and shared with the group that I had no idea which way we should go. The rest of that hour was spent prayerfully brainstorming together until we had some wonderful plans and a sense of affirmation from God.
Issuing direct challenges to God can be a very bad idea if we’re unprepared for God’s response. In that case, I cried out to Jesus from the depths of my confusion, feelings of inadequacy, unrealistic expectations, and frustration. Jesus heard my cry and increased the strength of my soul enough for me to allow myself to not have all the answers. Without that Godly intervention, I would never have trusted the group enough to hear for God’s Wisdom come through them.
Prayer Lord Jesus: We often get so lost in what we think is required of us that we forget to ask what you actually want from us. Thank you for always listening when we finally cry out for help. AMEN