Uphold My Life

A Reflection on the Psalm for September 19th, 2021:
Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Psalm 54

R. The Lord upholds my life.

Save me, O God, by your name, and vindicate me by your might. Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth. 

R. The Lord upholds my life.

For the insolent have risen against me, the ruthless seek my life; they do not set God before them. 

R. The Lord upholds my life.

But surely, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life. With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, for it is good. 

R. The Lord upholds my life.

One of the definitions for uphold in Webster’s dictionary is, “To support against an opponent.” So we can say that one meaning for this refrain is this: The Lord supports me against my opponents. 

What does this mean for us today? Who or what are the “opponents” in our lives?

I see my opponents as being from two camps, external and internal. There are some everyday strategies that are important to maintaining peace in my life, like eating healthy and getting enough sleep. Sometimes the comings and goings of my teenage children at what seems like all hours of the night is in opposition to me getting that sleep that I need. Other times the busyness of my day can keep me from having the time to prepare a healthy meal so I end up eating things that make me feel unwell. These things are in the external camp and they are usually things that I can manage with some discipline. 

The internal camp tends to be slightly less cooperative. These opponents are the ones that really keep me up at night, like anxiety over a new job or a child who is struggling with school. Then there’s the doubt that I’m being a good mother or living up to what God has called me to be. These are things that sometimes bubble up out of nowhere with the power to paralyze.

The words of the Psalmist should give us real reason to hope: “The Lord upholds my life.” It is God that will get me through the day after a sleepless night. It is He who will support my children when I fail to do it right. And it’s God who gently leads me when I can’t quite see the path in front of me. All because He loves me and wants what’s good for me. 

Please Lord, help me to lean on You and let You uphold my life. Amen




​Maxine Brown
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