When I call out, answer me,
O God who vindicates me!
Though I am hemmed in, you will lead me into a wide, open place.
Have mercy on me and respond to my prayer! (verse 1, NET)
What does the Lord think when we are so direct with Him? Not obnoxious, not presumptuous, but child to Father, friend to Friend, brother to Brother, soldier to Commander?
Oh Lord God, in all the “how much more” examples Jesus gave us, You keep calling us to trust this relationship we have with You; if we need You, cry out! If we are exultant, jump for joy!
This very moment, Lord, I can think of a place or two in my life and many in the lives of many of my Desperate Little Friends where it would not be strange if I, if we, were to cry out, “Answer me, O God! You vindicate us … answer, O Lord! No matter the lies of the enemies, the darts and arrows we need to deflect, the dangers around us, You will lead us up and out, through every tribulation and into wide, open spaces, and oh! we do need to find them!
Bring us out where we can see what we’ve done and left undone! Bring us out to that wide place where we can forgive every atrocity committed against us, and the little irksome things, too. You make new, You care, You understand, You so graciously vindicate us. We are praying for those who burn with fears, regrets, and uncertainties, and who have scorched others with their words and with many failures of love, but we cry out to You for them. Look upon this friend and that one, so wounded, so scarred.
Bring them out to that place where it all makes sense even in confusion, because YOU are the Potter, You are the Husbandman, You are the Shepherd of Your sheep, and You do not forsake us, forget us, or fail us, and we will care with You.
Every good and all our good is in You, O Lord, and we pray today for those who cannot quite say that as wholeheartedly as we, and for ourselves, where we are faint or feckless –
Have mercy on us and respond to our prayer!
For those who’ve never worshipped anywhere else … and for those too tormented to worship at all, Lord God, be glorified!
Notre Dame Incendie, April 15, 2019
LeLassierPaserA38, Wikipedia, by permission
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