March 18: Sheltering Wings

by Kathy Merkle-Raymond

 

Psalm 145

¹   I will extol you, my God and King,
          and bless your name forever and ever.
²   Every day I will bless you,
          and praise your name forever and ever.
³   Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
          his greatness is unsearchable.

⁴   One generation shall laud your works to another,
          and shall declare your mighty acts.
⁵   On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
          and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
⁶   The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed,
          and I will declare your greatness.
⁷   They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness,
          and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

⁸   The Lord is gracious and merciful,
          slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
⁹   The Lord is good to all,
          and his compassion is over all that he has made.

¹⁰  All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
          and all your faithful shall bless you.
¹¹  They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom,
          and tell of your power,
¹²  to make known to all people your mighty deeds,
          and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
¹³  Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
          and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

     The Lord is faithful in all his words,
          and gracious in all his deeds.
¹⁴  The Lord upholds all who are falling,
          and raises up all who are bowed down.
¹⁵  The eyes of all look to you,
          and you give them their food in due season.
¹⁶  You open your hand,
          satisfying the desire of every living thing.
¹⁷  The Lord is just in all his ways,
          and kind in all his doings.
¹⁸  The Lord is near to all who call on him,
          to all who call on him in truth.
¹⁹  He fulfills the desire of all who fear him;
          he also hears their cry, and saves them.
²⁰  The Lord watches over all who love him,
          but all the wicked he will destroy.

²¹  My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
          and all flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever.

In Psalm 145, David offers a song of praise and wonderment of God.  I am especially moved by the intimate, personal touch of the Divine that is called out in Verses 14 and 18:

God upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down.

God is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

We can be deeply grateful that our loving God did not simply create us and then walk away to let us flounder in the melancholy of human existence.  But how do we access the Spirit?  What words should we use when we call upon God?  The answer in verse 18 is simple – the words don’t matter as long as we are honest when we seek God’s guidance.  Whenever we are willing to let down our guard and humbly ask, God is there to listen.    

At times, we feel overwhelmed by the darkness of doubt, but we must remember that no burden is too great for God’s amazing grace. In fact, it is when we stumble that we are most likely to come to God with an open heart.  Madeleine L’Engle, one of my all-time favorite authors, says this: 

 

“I will have nothing to do with a God who cares only occasionally. I need a God who is with us always, everywhere, in the deepest depths as well as the highest heights. It is when things go wrong, when good things do not happen, when our prayers seem to have been lost, that God is most present. We do not need the sheltering wings when things go smoothly. We are closest to God in the darkness, stumbling along blindly.”

God tenderly heals even our most broken places.  In our Creator’s arms, we are held, comforted and strengthened to a place of wholeness, a place where we can be our very best selves. 

Indeed, let us join David’s joyful song of praise and celebration at God’s goodness and constant presence with us!  Amen!