Watching Over Us

A Reflection on the Psalm for September 5th, 2021:
​Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Psalm 146

R. Praise the Lord, O my soul!

It is the Lord who keeps faith forever, who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free. 

R. Praise the Lord, O my soul!

The Lord opens the eyes of the blind and lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous and watches over the strangers. 

R. Praise the Lord, O my soul!

The Lord upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. 

R. Praise the Lord, O my soul!

“The Lord loves the righteous and watches over the strangers.” 

Really take in that line. 

The more I read this psalm, the more comfort and peace that sentence brings to me. The Lord watches over all of us, always. He is a caring Father who looks down on His children, yearning for us to choose Him and His love. And, not only does He watch over His children who are faithful to Him, but He also watches His estranged children and those who have never encountered Him. 

Have you ever felt like you were a stranger to God? Maybe it was before you experienced the Lord and grew in faith. Maybe it was after your faith journey had begun. Perhaps God is in your life like one of those friends who you only catch up with every few months, feeling distanced from Him in the spaces between. I know I go through periods in life when God feels like a stranger to me: When I distance myself from Him because I let the busyness of life take over, or because of the shame of sin in my life I wonder if He loves me as much anymore, or if He still remembers me each day. Maybe you’ve experienced this feeling once or many times. If you have, you know how lonely and discouraging it can feel.

But the real truth is that we are never strangers in His eyes. He knows and loves every part of us, even when we act as though we are strangers. When you feel your heart growing distant from the Lord, just know that He wants nothing more than to be in relationship with you always. I pray that I can always remember that my Father is lovingly watching over me each day. Amen.




Megan Noye
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