During Lent & Easter we will be paying attention to some of the Psalms. Today, (March 18, Lent 4) we look at part of Psalm 107
Today’s Psalm invites us to
be people who are openhearted
and thankful to God
for all that God is and does for us.
Let us thank the Lord for his goodness.
Do we often or usually reflect on our lives
and explore what God is doing?
Do we take time to think about what and how we pray
and how this might be being addressed?
There is the famous joke about the drowning man
A man is drowning in the sea.''Help me, Lord,'' he cries.
Just then, a fishing trawler comes by. ''Climb on board'' yells the skipper.
''No, no, no,'' says the drowning man. ''The Lord will save me.''
''OK,we will be on our way, then,'' replies the captain.
Two minutes later a rescue helicopter landed along-side the poor chap, and the pilot threw a rope into the fierce waves. ''I do not need any help,'' cries the breathless man, ''The Lord will come and rescue me.''
Moments later the guy drowns, and finds himself in heaven. On meeting God, the man weeps: ''Lord, I was waiting for you to rescue me from my watery tomb. Why did you not save me?''
God replies:'' You daft so and so. I sent you a boat and a helicopter!''
Our life with God can be rather like that.
We may cry out in desperation
but do we pay attention to the response?
This Psalm is reminding us that we should at least give thanks
The Psalms are full of this advice.
O give thanks to God, the Lord
The section we read today particularly reminds us to be thankful
for the fact that God attends to us in our personal needs
for healing,
when we are grieving,
and when we are difficult circumstances
We often feel naturally inclined to do this
(Churches are never so full as in times of war and great disaster)
But we are being challenged
to do a little more than that.
To also give thanks to God.
So this probably means that we need to reflect some what on what is happening in our life
that is all this psalm is about.
Certainly it is also saying
and as you see what God is doing
then give thanks!
You know, as far back as five centuries before the birth of Jesus Socrates, observed
The unexamined life is not worth living
The great spiritual writers in the Bible and in the Church tell us that as we examine our life,
and as we give thanks to God
we find a great spiritual storehouse
an energy, openness
and new generosity of the Spirit.
This is what the disciples found Jesus was introducing them to.
We hear him saying to Nicodemus (in John 3) you need to look at this afresh, do it a new way
be born again.
And Jesus goes on to say how what god is trying to do is not to condemn us
but rather to set us free.
When you examine your life, when you give thanks to God
you take some control of your life.
You are set free.
You get to choose your destination
To determine the path
you become able to work out when you are walking in the wrong direction
and to do something about it
O give thank to the Lord for he is good
and in the midst of trouble
we are being shown how to get going again
Can we dare to do this?
Can we afford not to do it?
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