Out of the depths I cry to you O LORD
These are the first words of Psalm 130. This psalm seems to be following me around the moment – turning up when I don’t expect it and working its way into my thoughts and prayers. It is quite a short psalm and is packed with meaning – longing to be heard by God, asking for forgiveness, waiting with hopefulness, and trust in God’s unfailing love.
The Psalms are brim full of human emotion and are a great place to find comfort and inspiration. I always find it an encouragement that so much anger, bitterness, frustration and doubt are included in this part of the Bible. It is recognition of all of the human condition, not just the virtuous and pious bits!
Some of our congregation, as well as the wider community are coming to terms with the impacts of last week’s freak storms. The office fridge has out on temporary loan to help one couple, who have lost almost everything and will have to be re-housed. For many people at this time “Out of the depths I cry to you oh LORD” would be a good start to any prayer.
However, just as Psalm 130 ends on a positive note, there is also blessing in many difficult situations. Alongside the terrible stories of people losing everything in the floods, including those precious items that no amount of money can replace, there are also stories of great kindness, generosity of spirit and communities working together to bring good out of tragedy.
In his book When Bad Things Happen to Good People, Harold S. Kushner says that all we can do is choose how we respond to difficult events in our lives. We are often powerless to prevent them happening. We can decide how we want to respond.
This week I invite you to look out for the blessings in your own life, even if you are struggling. Perhaps you could take the time to be a blessing to others too.
God bless,
Cecilia.
These are the first words of Psalm 130. This psalm seems to be following me around the moment – turning up when I don’t expect it and working its way into my thoughts and prayers. It is quite a short psalm and is packed with meaning – longing to be heard by God, asking for forgiveness, waiting with hopefulness, and trust in God’s unfailing love.
The Psalms are brim full of human emotion and are a great place to find comfort and inspiration. I always find it an encouragement that so much anger, bitterness, frustration and doubt are included in this part of the Bible. It is recognition of all of the human condition, not just the virtuous and pious bits!
Some of our congregation, as well as the wider community are coming to terms with the impacts of last week’s freak storms. The office fridge has out on temporary loan to help one couple, who have lost almost everything and will have to be re-housed. For many people at this time “Out of the depths I cry to you oh LORD” would be a good start to any prayer.
However, just as Psalm 130 ends on a positive note, there is also blessing in many difficult situations. Alongside the terrible stories of people losing everything in the floods, including those precious items that no amount of money can replace, there are also stories of great kindness, generosity of spirit and communities working together to bring good out of tragedy.
In his book When Bad Things Happen to Good People, Harold S. Kushner says that all we can do is choose how we respond to difficult events in our lives. We are often powerless to prevent them happening. We can decide how we want to respond.
This week I invite you to look out for the blessings in your own life, even if you are struggling. Perhaps you could take the time to be a blessing to others too.
God bless,
Cecilia.
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