Write It Down

A Reflection on the Psalm for September 6th, 2020:
​Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

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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, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, 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!

Pause. Pray.

And then read more...

"…though they had seen my work." 

I have been so blessed to have seen His work. I’ve been the recipient of the tremendous gift of answered prayer; I’ve heard so many beautiful stories of surrender and healing and remarkable happenings. My best friends are those of faith who also know His goodness and remind me of it all the time. At the psalmist’s urging, in memory of all He has done, we keep each other grounded in praise, even through the hardest of times. 

After one of my first profound personal experiences of God’s love, I wrote down some quick notes about it — and I was so glad I did, because just hours later, I was doubting myself and questioning what had happened. I have not written down all the consolations I’ve received along my journey, but some of the bigger ones are well documented and serve to remind me of what God can do. 

And yet I still allow my heart to be hardened by worry and despair over my helplessness. My humanity rails against even the best evidence for His trustworthiness. One time, in a moment of despairing prayer of worry for my daughter, I had a lightning-quick thought that wasn’t mine — “I’ve got her”. In that moment, I was ever so gently reminded that in my spiritual poverty, His power reigns. 

So, I continue to write it down. 
 
I still worry. I still pray prayers of despair. But when I write it down, my love for Him grows, my trust in Him grows, and my heart becomes more tender and open to receive His peace. 

My husband told me that a few years ago, when he was packing for a mission trip, he threw in his bag a small notebook that had a few blank pages left in the back. Upon arrival at his destination, he opened the little book, which he had not used for quite some time, and noticed the last page, which was a list of prayer intentions. As he reviewed the list, he realized that every single one of his prayers had been answered. Every. Single. One. Even the ones that had been difficult to pray. Even the ones that seemed most unlikely. 

What more evidence do we need? 

Let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise! For we have seen His work.

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Lindsay Elford

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