Trusting God's Generous Love Through Darkness
Daily Scripture
Psalm 118:5-9, 26-29
5 In tight circumstances, I cried out to the LORD.
The LORD answered me with wide-open spaces.
6 The LORD is for me—I won’t be afraid.
What can anyone do to me?
7 The LORD is for me—as my helper.
I look in victory on those who hate me.
8 It’s far better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust any human.
9 It’s far better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust any human leader.
26 The one who enters in the LORD’s name is blessed;
we bless all of you from the LORD’s house.
27 The LORD is God!
He has shined a light on us!
So lead the festival offering with ropes
all the way to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God—I will give thanks to you!
You are my God—I will lift you up high!
29 Give thanks to the LORD because he is good,
because his faithful love lasts forever.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
Psalms were songs sung from the heart and regularly repeated by God’s people as reminders of God’s faithfulness. Psalm 118 reminds us that even in difficult circumstances, God remains faithful and wants the best for us. It was the last hallel (hymn of praise) Hebrews sang at Passover to recall God freeing Israel from slavery in Egypt. Mark 14:23-26 said that Jesus, just before his arrest and crucifixion, likely sang Psalm 118. Surrounded by darkness and hatred, he still praised God’s generous goodness.
- Like other Psalms (cf. Psalm 23, 34, 107), this passage didn’t promise a life with no “tight circumstances.” It did promise that God can be a “helper” and “refuge.” How does knowing that God will walk with you through any situation give you hope? Verses 26-29 describe our response to God’s goodness: gratitude! What ways can you respond to God’s blessings to be a blessing for others?
- Robert Emmons wrote, “It is vital to make a distinction between feeling grateful and being grateful…. We cannot easily will ourselves to feel grateful, less depressed, or happy…. being grateful is a choice… that endures and is relatively immune to the gains and losses that flow in and out of our lives…. this perspective is hard to achieve—but my research says it is worth the effort.” * How did Jesus singing Psalm 118 just before he faced the cross show his choice to be grateful? How can you nurture gratitude for even basic but generous gifts like shelter, food, and life itself?
Prayer
Loving Lord, my goal is to remember that you are for me, so I won’t be afraid. My goal is to never forget that your faithful love lasts forever. I don’t always reach that goal yet. I ask for your continued presence with me to help me grow toward the goal. Amen.
GPS Insights
Brandon Gregory
Brandon Gregory, who serves as a volunteer for the worship and missions teams at Church of the Resurrection, wrote today's Insights. He helps lead worship at Leawood's modern worship services, as well as at the West and Downtown services, and is involved with the Malawi missions team at home.
I’ll confess: while I know that gratitude is vital to our well-being, I’m not a big fan of the idea that it completely fixes our problems. If gratitude fixes problems, then any problems I have are my fault for not having enough gratitude. I’ve seen that mentality cause lots of harm. Your depression is your fault because you don’t trust God enough. Your husband’s mistreatment of you is your fault for not being submissive enough. Your financial problems are your fault for not praying for prosperity in the right way. Like any other virtue, gratitude is not a cure-all for our ails. Instead, it helps us in other ways.
I’ve spoken about my malady in this space before, but I have a chronic illness that puts me in danger. Bipolar disorder has a greatly elevated risk of suicide, giving it an effective mortality rate roughly twice that of breast cancer. It can also cause many other issues: addiction, relationship issues, financial issues, and physical issues like chronic pain.
Gratitude doesn’t solve that problem, but it reframes it. Thinking about how I’ve survived for 44 years with this illness grants some perspective that’s hard to have in the depths of despair. Remembering the support and treatments I have available to me gives me some hope that I will have the help I need. Looking to the friends and family who support me makes the chronic emptiness a little less lonely. Gratitude doesn’t solve these problems, but it reminds me that they can be overcome.
Sometimes, when I cry out to God, I realize that I don’t need a response that solves everything, because He’s already given me what I need to succeed. That’s what gratitude does for us. There will still be times when we don’t have what we need and need rescue. That’s OK. But sometimes the help we need is all around us, if we can remember to look for it.
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Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* Robert Emmons, “How Gratitude Can Help You Through Hard Times,” syndicated from Greater Good, Sep 12, 2013 at http://www.dailygood.org/story/532/how-gratitude-can-help-you-through-hard-times-robert-emmons/, emphasis supplied.
