Hear My Prayer

Hello faithful family, friends, and followers and welcome. We have enjoyed a week of beautiful fall weather and are looking forward to traveling back to IA to help celebrate Joy’s mother’s 99th birthday. I’ve recounted this several times, but we really didn’t believe, at the time of the accident, that Joy and her mother would see each other again this side of heaven. Yet now we have celebrated many special occasions and times together over the past two and a half years and for that Joy, her mother, and all of our family are thankful and blessed beyond words.

This week there were two passages in our Bible reading that I want to highlight. First, from Jeremiah 12:5, which I have written about before and reads: “If racing against mere men makes you tired, how will you race against horses? If you stumble and fall on open ground, what will you do in the thickets near the Jordan?” This passage, and Eugene Peterson’s insights around it, always speak powerfully to me of Joy’s courage displayed day after day on the long road of recovery. Secondly, a Psalm of David, Psalm 86, that is like a Swiss Army knife of Psalms, something for every need and occasion. I hope that both passages will bless you as they have blessed Joy and I.

First to Jeremiah…

Eugene Peterson, pastor, author of many books, and of “The Message” paraphrase of the Bible, actually wrote an entire book on this verse entitled, “Run With The Horses - The Quest for Life at Its Best.” His premise in the book fits so well with the courage I see in Joy and is a significant motivation for me in perseverance for living out the day to day of our “new normal.” Peterson writes:

This memorable passage concerns Jeremiah's life when, worn down by the opposition and absorbed in self-pity, he was about to capitulate... He was ready to abandon his unique calling in God and settle for being a Jerusalem statistic. At that critical moment he heard the reprimand: "So, Jeremiah, if you're worn out in this footrace with men, what makes you think you can race against horses? And if you can't keep your wits during times of calm, what's going to happen when troubles break loose like the Jordan in flood?…

God basically confronts Jeremiah with the statement, “Life is difficult, Jeremiah. Are you going to quit at the first wave of opposition?… Are you going to live cautiously or courageously? I called you to live at your best, to pursue righteousness, to sustain a drive toward excellence. It is easier, I know, to be neurotic. It is easier to be parasitic. It is easier to relax in the embracing arms of The Average. Easier, but not better. Easier, but not more significant. Easier, but not more fulfilling. I called you to a life of purpose far beyond what you think yourself capable of living and promised you adequate strength to fulfill your destiny… What is it you really want, Jeremiah? Do you want to shuffle along with this crowd, or run with the horses?

It is understandable that there are retreats from excellence, veerings away from risk, withdrawals from faith… It is unlikely, I think, that Jeremiah was spontaneous or quick in his reply to God's question. The ecstatic ideals for a new life had been splattered with the world's cynicism. The euphoric impetus of youthful enthusiasm no longer carried him. He weighed the options. He counted the cost. He tossed and turned in hesitation. The response when it came was not verbal but biographical. His life became his answer, "I'll run with the horses."

Then to David’s heartfelt Psalm 86 which includes desperate pleading, humble yielding, and confident gratitude and praise as he writes/sings…

Bend down, O LORD, and hear my prayer;

answer me, for I need your help.

Protect me, for I am devoted to you.

Save me, for I serve you and trust you.

You are my God.

Be merciful to me, O Lord,

for I am calling on you constantly.

Give me happiness, O Lord,

for I give myself to you.

O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive,

so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.

Listen closely to my prayer, O LORD;

hear my urgent cry.

I will call to you whenever I’m in trouble,

and you will answer me…

For you are great and perform wonderful deeds.

You alone are God.

Teach me your ways, O LORD,

that I may live according to your truth!

Grant me purity of heart,

so that I may honor you.

With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God.

I will give glory to your name forever,

for your love for me is very great.

You have rescued me from the depths of death…

You, O Lord,

are a God of compassion and mercy,

slow to get angry

and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.

Look down and have mercy on me...

Send me a sign of your favor…

For you, O LORD, help and comfort me.

Like Jeremiah and David, we all face daunting life realities, but despite the oft felt fears of danger, suffering, and inadequacy, I am encouraged, and I hope you can to be too, to trust God’s provision as he challenges us to gather our courage and determination to, “run with the horses.”