The Unattended Mind

A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, May 14th, 2023:
The Sixth Sunday of Easter

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Psalm 66

R. Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth!

Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth! 
Sing the glory of his name;
Give to him glorious praise.
Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!”

R. Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth!

“All the earth worships you;
They sing praises to you, sing praises to your name.”
Come and see what God has done:
He is awesome in his deeds among the children of Adam.

R. Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth!

He turned the sea into dry land;
They passed through the river on foot.
There we rejoiced in him,
Who rules by his might forever.

R. Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth!

Come and hear, all you who fear God,
And I will tell what he has done for me.
Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer
Or removed his steadfast love from me.

R. Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth!

Joy can sometimes be elusive, in my experience. Worry is its enemy, and my mind can imagine some ridiculous possibilities and worst-case scenarios if I allow it. As I write, I am preparing for a trip to Rome. I am so excited for this adventure and very much looking forward to the journey and the experience but, when my mind is left unattended, it can easily work overtime, imagining every possible and terrible eventuality, regardless of how far-fetched or unlikely. 

And that seems to be the key – don’t leave my mind unattended. Like a small child in a room full of breakable objects, my mind clearly needs to be supervised, and this is the role of prayer. Returning to God, asking Jesus always to be with me, to love me into the present moment and to increase my joy, regardless of the circumstances in which I find myself. 

Like a small child who is free to explore with the loving hand of a parent or guardian very nearby, I can be safe to encounter all the happenings of life because Jesus is with me, to celebrate with me and to grieve with me, to somehow make the terrible beautiful and the beautiful even more so. He has done this before, and He will do it again. 

And, so, I need to pray unceasingly in search of the joy that only He can bring, to remind myself of the things He has done and will do and that He is always with me and has never removed His steadfast love from me. 

This, in my experience, is the only lasting antidote to worry – to make a joyful noise unto the Lord in gratitude for His sovereignty and for all the gifts His Holy Spirit brings. 

Thank you, and praise You, Lord, for this reminder that Your goodness reigns in my heart and is the only source of true joy! 



Lindsay Elford

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