July 17th Reflection by Bill Lynch

Psalm 86:11-17
Teach me your way, O Lord,
   that I may walk in your truth;
   give me an undivided heart to revere your name.
I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
   and I will glorify your name for ever.
For great is your steadfast love towards me;
   you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

O God, the insolent rise up against me;
   a band of ruffians seeks my life,
   and they do not set you before them.
But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,
   slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
Turn to me and be gracious to me;
   give your strength to your servant;
   save the child of your serving-maid.
Show me a sign of your favour,
   so that those who hate me may see it and be put to shame,
   because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

Reflection
For a Child of God we want so badly to learn what God wants for our lives. We want to please God in our thoughts and our actions. Yet, there is this inkling in the back of our heads that tells us what we really know about ourselves. We really know that we sin and don't always do what God desires. It's not a secret but it's a secret we would rather no have made public. So we struggle in our hearts with wanting to do what God teaches and living a life that praises God, with the knowledge of our sinful failures when we do what we don't want to do as a Child of God.

So, we come to depend on God's love and faithfulness and patience and steadfast love. We come to realize that these characteristics are abounding in our God because we sin and sin again even though we hate the sin we are doing. Oh, what a battle sin causes to rage within our minds and hearts!

And we turn to God. God how can you love me? How can you put up with me? I can't even put up with myself let alone ask you to put up with my sinful ways.

Some people pretend to ignore there sin and put on these pious faces and smile even though the sin lies just beneath the surface. I would rather be honest with God and come to God with my sin. I would rather be the one to listen than to put on the smiling face and ignore God's teachings and continue on in my own "happy" little world. At some point I would rather fall to my knees in the presence of God and humble my proud, pious self and repent. I would rather wait for God to forgive than to live the life of a "fake."

I think the psalmist feels this also and has come to realize just the beginning of God's love. I think the psalmist in this passage is honest with God and seeks God's help. I think the psalmist as well as myself hear and learn from God and the lives of one another throughout the centuries that we truly do have a God we need for our salvation...

But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,
   slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
Turn to me and be gracious to me;
   give your strength to your servant;
   save the child of your serving-maid.

No need for the fake, happy, pious face... we are free to be humble and loving and thankful for a God that chooses to love us and saves us... warts and all. Now that brings a smile to my face! Thanks be to God!

Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csq8sR2-6Qk

Prayer
Lord, it's me again. I come to you warts and all. I come to you sinful and seeking forgiveness. I come to you to learn your love, that I too may love those you give to me. I come to you asking that you give me your ability to look past those fake smiling faces and love those very same people and explain their actions in the kindest way. I come to you for your mercy and steadfast love and your faithfulness and your gracious saving grace... today... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen