(Written by David when he pretended to be crazy in front of Abimelech, so that Abimelech would send him away, and David could leave.)
Honor the Lord
34 I will always praise the Lord. 2 With all my heart, I will praise the Lord. Let all who are helpless, listen and be glad. 3 Honor the Lord with me! Celebrate his great name.
4 I asked the Lord for help, and he saved me from all my fears. 5 Keep your eyes on the Lord! You will shine like the sun and never blush with shame. 6 I was a nobody, but I prayed, and the Lord saved me from all my troubles.
7 If you honor the Lord, his angel will protect you. 8 Discover for yourself that the Lord is kind. Come to him for protection, and you will be glad.
I see it now,
how wrong I have been,
how I thought I had the answers,
trotted out my glib assurances,
spoke
when really I had no idea.
I said to much
and listened to you
too little;
said things about you
rather than hearing from you
and now, here I am.
I see that you can do
what you will do,
you will do
what you need to,
it’s not me
in control.
Help me Lord,
to work with you,
not rile against you,
to speak with understanding,
not trot out
what I’ve heard.
May I speak as I hear you,
and say as I see you
in truth
and reality.
From my place of despair
take me to a place of hope
in you.
2 No one can oppose you, because you have the power to do what you want. 3 You asked why I talk so much when I know so little. I have talked about things that are far beyond my understanding. 4 You told me to listen and answer your questions. 5 I heard about you from others; now I have seen you with my own eyes. 6 That’s why I hate myself and sit here in dust and ashes to show my sorrow.
A Happy Ending
10 After Job had prayed for his three friends, the Lord made Job twice as rich as he had been before. 11 Then Job gave a feast for his brothers and sisters and for his old friends. They expressed their sorrow for the suffering the Lord had brought on him, and they each gave Job some silver and a gold ring.
12 The Lord now blessed Job more than ever; he gave him fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand pair of oxen, and a thousand donkeys.
13 In addition to seven sons, Job had three daughters, 14 whose names were Jemimah, Keziah, and Keren Happuch. 15 They were the most beautiful women in that part of the world, and Job gave them shares of his property, along with their brothers.
16 Job lived for another one hundred forty years—long enough to see his great-grandchildren have children of their own—17 and when he finally died, he was very old.
Two sides. The place of abject despair, of realisation of rock bottom – and the place of hope. Does our journey end in sackcloth and ashes, in pain and anguish? Will there be a happy ending for me and my story?
This apparent ‘happy ever after’ ending is an expression of hope and faith. That everything will be OK, because God is in charge. I’m not convinced our happy ending will always look like Jobs, in fact life has shown me that often it won’t – but in the world where Job lived, long life, wealth and happiness were the expression that God was happy with you, and we have to read this ending in that context.
Our happy ending may look very different. It may not look so happy and rosy. We may still be in a place of distress and pain. But, from the place of sackcloth and ashes, we may come to a place of hope, of blessing, of knowledge and security of God’s love – and a place of peace. It may not look like Job’s happy ending, but we can still find that place of rest and security that God is with us, and though we may not understand – he does. There is our hope.
It’s all about me,
what I can get,
what I want,
how far I can get –
what’s in it for me?
You called me
and I came,
but now I want more.
I want some guarantees,
some certainty
that what I have given up will be worth it,
and yes,
if I’m honest,
a little bit of glory,
some respect,
recognition,
people to know
how important I am to you.
But that’s not how it works.
I sit alongside you
by doing as you do,
sharing in your life and work,
it’s about giving,
not getting
and I’ve missed that point.
Forgive me Lord,
when I have got it wrong;
looked at results
not actions;
when I have worried about me
not you and your way;
when all I have done
has been about being seen,
noticed,
valued
and praised,
not sacrifice
and giving.
Lord teach me the way of giving
for I long to work with you,
to live for you
and work alongside you
may that be my sole motivation.
May I drink the cup you drink.
Let is not be all about me,
but all about you
and those you call me to serve
35 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, will you do us a favor?”
36 Jesus asked them what they wanted, 37 and they answered, “When you come into your glory, please let one of us sit at your right side and the other at your left.”
38 Jesus told them, “You don’t really know what you’re asking! Are you able to drink from the cup that I must soon drink from or be baptized as I must be baptized?”
39 “Yes, we are!” James and John answered.
Then Jesus replied, “You certainly will drink from the cup from which I must drink. And you will be baptized just as I must! 40 But it isn’t for me to say who will sit at my right side and at my left. That is for God to decide.”
41 When the ten other disciples heard this, they were angry with James and John. 42 But Jesus called the disciples together and said:
You know that those foreigners who call themselves kings like to order their people around. And their great leaders have full power over the people they rule. 43 But don’t act like them. If you want to be great, you must be the servant of all the others. 44 And if you want to be first, you must be everyone’s slave. 45 The Son of Man did not come to be a slave master, but a slave who will give his life to rescue many people.
I was helpless
Pam's Perambulation 