February 3rd - Reflection

Reading
Psalm 56 (NRSV)
In God I trust

Be gracious to me, O God, for people trample on me;
all day long foes oppress me;
my enemies trample on me all day long,
for many fight against me.
O Most High, when I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I am not afraid;
what can flesh do to me?

All day long they seek to injure my cause;
all their thoughts are against me for evil.
They stir up strife, they lurk,
they watch my steps.
As they hoped to have my life,
so repay them for their crime;
in wrath cast down the peoples, O God!

You have kept count of my tossings;
put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your record?
Then my enemies will retreat
in the day when I call.
This I know, that God is for me.
In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I am not afraid.
What can a mere mortal do to me?

My vows to you I must perform, O God;
I will render thank offerings to you.
For you have delivered my soul from death,
and my feet from falling,
so that I may walk before God
in the light of life.

Reflection
Nobody said it would be easy. Life is hard at times. There are times when things just don't go like you would want them to go. These are times that we tend to turn to God for help. In the good times, if we don't turn our backs on God, we tend to offer praise and thanksgiving. In the good times, if we turn our backs on God, we tend to fall into sin and selfishly think we brought on the good all of our own effort.

So what's the difference? The difference is that both in the bad times and the good times, our focus must remain on God. This isn't about making us happy all the time. This is about carrying out the mission and plan God has given for us to do. There will be easy parts of this plan and there will be difficult parts of this plan. I must trust God in either case and know that my life is about what God wants and not about what I want.

So what's the difference? My vows are to God. My thanks is to God. God saves me through Jesus Christ and I will walk with him in his Kingdom daily. Walk with him through the good and the bad. Work the plan with all my effort day after day. The relationships in the journey...that's the difference. Thanks be to God!

Prayer
Lord, thanks for the pep talk...let's go for the second half and play hard. ---Amen