In A Hard Place
BRD REFLECTIONS:
Exodus 16, 17 and Psalm 63 (NIV)
(Alice Ling, CiC Facilitator)
READ:
Exodus 16, 17 and Psalm 63
The first four verses of Psalm 63 stood out for me:
1 You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. 2 I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. 3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. 4 I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.
OBSERVE:
In Exodus 16 and 17, the Israelites in the wilderness seem to be in a hard place. They grumbled against the leadership of Moses and Aaron, greatly agitated by the lack of good food and water. They had forgotten how God had led them out of Egypt.
In Psalm 63, David was in a hard place too. He was in the wilderness of Judah, running away from his son Absalom, who wanted him dead. Despite this, his reaction was different. He sought God, longed for Him and was fully satisfied. He had previous personal encounters with God and had experienced God’s love for him. As a result, he would praise God as long as he lived.
APPLY:
Often, I find myself in a hard place. I realise my actions are so similar to the Israelites’. I grumble and I get greatly agitated when things do not go the way I would like them to. I tend to find my own solutions too and disregard God and His instructions.
Just like the Israelites, I am guilty of being forgetful. God saw me through a very challenging time at work and an excruciatingly painful surgery and yet I have forgotten how He had been my help, how He kept me safe in the shadow of His wings (Psalm 63:7) and how He upheld me with His victorious right hand (Psalm 63:8).
I must learn to be like David, seeking God earnestly, trusting in Him and praising Him even in the most difficult of times.
DO:
I will continue to trust God as I cultivate my relationship with Him through prayer and the study of His Word. I will also continue with the practice of Examen I learnt from the Companions in Christ course. It is important to acknowledge God’s presence in my life and reflect on what God has done for me just like David did: “On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night” (Psalm 63:6). I will also sing praises to God and testify of His goodness in my life as long as I have breath.
PRAY:
Heavenly Father, You know me through and through and You know how forgetful I can be. Please forgive me when I fail to turn to You. Help me to earnestly seek You always and all the more when I find myself in hard places. Help me remember that You and only You can satisfy my soul’s desires. In Jesus Name, Amen.
