Waiting in Hope

Beyond the Present Time
Resurrection Hope
Living with Hope

Psalm 38:9-16

The Message

^9-16 Lord, my longings are sitting in plain sight,

    my groans an old story to you.
My heart’s about to break;
    I’m a burned-out case.
Cataracts blind me to God and good;
    old friends avoid me like the plague.
My cousins never visit,
    my neighbors stab me in the back.
My competitors blacken my name,
    devoutly they pray for my ruin.
But I’m deaf and mute to it all,
    ears shut, mouth shut.
I don’t hear a word they say,
    don’t speak a word in response.
What I do, God, is wait for you,
    wait for my Lord, my God—you will answer!
I wait and pray so they won’t laugh me off,
    won’t smugly strut off when I stumble. 

For Reflection

Hope is not empty.  Hope drives the fulfillment of God's promise.  Without hope, the faithful cannot act.

When the faithful wait and listen for God's call and act on it, the common cultural response may be ridicule.  Expect that you will not necessarily be held in high esteem by others for your counter culture responses to life.  Expect, rather to suffer for your stand and wait in hope for God's resolution.  God has called us not to be conformed to this world but to have the will and the courage to witness to a better way, the way of Christ. 

Pray

Pray for the wisdom to know the difference between God's way and and the way of the common culture.  Pray for courage to stand on the side of justice in the face of injustice.  Pray for the courage to stand on the side of peace in the face of chaos.  Pray to stand on the side of selflessness in the face of greed.  Pray to stand beside God.