Lent Meditation: Monday in the fifth week of Lent

Pause:

As I enter this time of prayer, I put away all distractions, take a deep breath, and listen to what the Holy Spirit is going to speak to me about today.

Pray this Psalm, repeating the words slowly, a few times:

But as for me, I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; you are my God, do not delay.

~Psalm 40:17

Reflect:

David ascribes to God all credit for helping him and delivering him in the past. He asks the Lord to come to his assistance quickly. While David was wildly successful, he was also humble enough to admit his need for God.

The Lord certainly knows all about every challenging situation we may face; no situation is too hard for God to resolve. He will either end the situation or give us grace so we can bear it. The apostle Paul asked the Lord three times to remove his thorn in the flesh, which was perhaps a severe physical ailment. But the Lord replied, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Is it possible that I am trying too hard to make sense of things, rushing to fix things, instead of living with a mess for a while?

Do I ever feel pressured to tidy up my feelings, my questions, or even my beliefs for other people?

Prayer: Dear Lord, help me learn to be okay with not being okay; I ask for courage to be vulnerable and gracious to live with the mess…for now. Amen.

(pause)

Yield (The serenity prayer of Reinhold Neibuhr)

God, grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change,

the courage to change the things I can,

and the wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time,

enjoying one moment at a time;

accepting hardship as a pathway to peace;

taking, as Jesus did,

this sinful world as it is,

not as I would have it;

trusting that You will make all things right

if I surrender to Your will;

so that I may be reasonably happy in this life

and supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Amen.