Through a Window

A Reflection on the Psalm for March 12th, 2023:
​Third Sunday of Lent

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Psalm 95

R. O that today you would listen to the voice of the Lord. Do not harden your hearts!

O come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

R. O that today you would listen to the voice of the Lord. Do not harden your hearts!

O come, let us worship and bow down,
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.

R. O that today you would listen to the voice of the Lord. Do not harden your hearts!

O that today you would listen to his voice!
Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
when your ancestors tested me, 
and put me to the proof,
though they had seen my work.

R. O that today you would listen to the voice of the Lord. Do not harden your hearts!

Right now I consider myself privileged to have a window into the world of young adults. I get to witness my kids and their friends sorting through all the voices of the world, wading into relationships through the realms of emotion and philosophy, and discerning the subtleties and competing attractions of truth, desires and convenience.   

Seeing them at this stage of life reminds me of being at a party – you know, where lots of people are having a ton of fun, laughing and talking over one another. It’s really loud, and it can be hard to really focus on what the person in front of you is saying…like trying to maintain a meaningful connection with God in the midst of this loud and distracting world.

It’s difficult to convince a young person (or anyone, for that matter) that the effort of straining their ears to hear the voice of Truth is worth it…and don’t I remember being young myself, bumbling around from one great idea to the next, not fully understanding the “why,” following my heart that I didn’t know was broken. 

I am simply amazed when I consider the perfection of God’s gift to us in Jesus – His final work to prove His love to us. To show us what wholeness looks like, to show us the incredible beauty of obedience to His will. To show us, once and for all, that it’s worth it to tune in to His voice – to take the time to sit in gratitude, and to discern our thoughts and actions. Yet still, when I follow the broken parts of my heart into error every day, He welcomes me back the next morning with mercy. That despite all of my pain and mistakes, I am redeemed and restored and resurrected in the end.

Herein lies the privilege for me of being a part of the world of these young people. Though I am fearful for them as I watch them make some of the same mistakes I did, I have to remember that rather than allowing my pride to be hurt by them not appreciating the depths of my immense wisdom (haha!), what often matters more to them than my advice is my willingness to welcome them back into my loving arms and encourage them to try again. I won’t stop giving them advice, but I must believe that it is in surrendering them to Him and His wisdom, God willing, they might feel His love through me.

O that today, we might listen to His voice! 

Lord, in Your mercy, show us the world into which you’ve given each of us the privilege of a window, and help us to look through it for Your glory. Amen.




Lindsay Elford

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