Psalm 42
As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and behold the face of God?
My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me continually, "Where is your God?"
These things I remember, as I pour out my soul:
how I went with the throng, and led them in procession to the house of God,
with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God: for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.
My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
Deep calls to deep at the thunder of your cataracts; all your waves and your billow have gone over me.
By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.
I say to God, my rock, "Why have you forgotten me?"
Why must I walk about mournfully because the enemy oppresses me?"
As with a deadly wound in my body, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me continually, "Where is your God?"
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.
As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and behold the face of God?
My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me continually, "Where is your God?"
These things I remember, as I pour out my soul:
how I went with the throng, and led them in procession to the house of God,
with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God: for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.
My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
Deep calls to deep at the thunder of your cataracts; all your waves and your billow have gone over me.
By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.
I say to God, my rock, "Why have you forgotten me?"
Why must I walk about mournfully because the enemy oppresses me?"
As with a deadly wound in my body, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me continually, "Where is your God?"
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.
When I lived in Mexico, I met many young people in their twenties who were thirsting for God. While many of them went to church, they had difficulty connecting with the church. They experienced the church as judgmental and most of the sermons seemed irrelevant to their lives. However, they wanted God's help and guidance as they navigated through the challenges of discovering their life's vocation and looking for the right partner to share their life. These young people's work never paid very well. None of them could afford cars or apartments on their meager salaries. They also shed many tears over love relationships that did not work out as they planned. Yet, they were always praying that God would help them find the right path to fulfill their hopes and dreams.
On the weekends, my young friends and I would often climb the mountains around Oaxaca where we lived. Typically we followed the path of the mountain streams that fed the aqueducts that ran down through the center of the city. On our walks, we would talk about their hopes and dreams as we gazed at the beautiful countryside stretching out below us. There on the mountainsides next to the stream of running water, I was often able to find connections with their own life stories and the stories found in the scriptures. On the mountain, we often prayed together, thanking God for the beauty around us and asking God for guidance as they returned to their complicated lives in the valley below. Fed by the streams of living water running down the mountain, they were much more able to hope in God help for the days ahead.
On the weekends, my young friends and I would often climb the mountains around Oaxaca where we lived. Typically we followed the path of the mountain streams that fed the aqueducts that ran down through the center of the city. On our walks, we would talk about their hopes and dreams as we gazed at the beautiful countryside stretching out below us. There on the mountainsides next to the stream of running water, I was often able to find connections with their own life stories and the stories found in the scriptures. On the mountain, we often prayed together, thanking God for the beauty around us and asking God for guidance as they returned to their complicated lives in the valley below. Fed by the streams of living water running down the mountain, they were much more able to hope in God help for the days ahead.
PRAYER:
Let us pray:
God help us to find those streams of living water to refresh our hope in you. Nurture and guide us as we continue our journey through Lent. Amen.
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Today's devotion is written by Pastor Lisa Hufford. If you'd like to discuss topics of faith with her, come to our Faith Discussion Group on Wednesday (3/18 or 3/25) in SUB I Patriot's Lounge.
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These devotions are provided by Lutheran Campus Ministry at George Mason University . Feel free to share them with your friends! For more information on our ministry and events, see http://gmu.edu/org/lutheran
