Source

So Abram rose, and clave the wood, and went,
And took the fire with him, and a knife.
And as they sojourned both of them together,
Isaac the first-born spake and said, My Father,
Behold the preparations, fire and iron,
But where the lamb for this burnt-offering?

Then Abram bound the youth with belts and straps,
and builded parapets and trenches there,
And stretchèd forth the knife to slay his son.
When lo! an angel called him out of heaven,
Saying, Lay not thy hand upon the lad,
Neither do anything to him. Behold,
A ram, caught in a thicket by its horns;
Offer the Ram of Pride instead of him.

But the old man would not so, but slew his son,
And half the seed of Europe, one by one.

Source: Spill The Beans Issue 24

Reflection 

What was God thinking? 

What was Abraham thinking? 

What was Isaac thinking? 

What was Sarah thinking? 

So many hearts breaking at once. 

A story of unfathomable pain.
A test greater than any test. 

Unimaginable tension. 

Life and death held in suspension 

Moments apart. 

God steps in.
Abraham passes the test. 

Isaac lives.
A mother’s heart heals. 

What was God doing that day?
A question without an answer, perhaps? 

God was in the midst of it all.
In all things God is there.
In our tests and trials
God is there.
Trust in God. 

Long enough, God—
    you’ve ignored me long enough.
I’ve looked at the back of your head
    long enough. Long enough
I’ve carried this ton of trouble,
    lived with a stomach full of pain.
Long enough my arrogant enemies
    have looked down their noses at me.

Take a good look at me, God, my God;
    I want to look life in the eye,
So no enemy can get the best of me
    or laugh when I fall on my face.

I’ve thrown myself headlong into your arms—
    I’m celebrating your rescue.
I’m singing at the top of my lungs,
    I’m so full of answered prayers.

PsalmImmersion

Richard Bruxvoort Colligan reflects on Psalm 13 as a Psalm of Lament, you can access his great reflection on the Pulpit Fiction Podcast, Episode 384, Time: 36:37: Reflection on Psalm 13 by Richard Bruxvoort-Colligan

Psalm 13 in Song

Action:

Rewrite the words to Psalm 13, if you’d like to share them send them to us at minister@gungahlinuniting.org and we’ll share them with the community.

A Personal Meditation

Pentecost 3A [Ordinary 13A] or [Proper 8A] 2014

Source: The Timeless Psalms

Psalm 13

I find waiting for something or someone a very difficult challenge, as I like
to know where I am going, and what I need to do next.

If I am challenged by an issue or a problem, after prayer and very careful thought about what I believe is needed to achieve an agreed outcome, I like to act as quickly as possible to bring that project to fulfilment.

Yet, however carefully I pray and plan; however diligently I research issues and community challenges – that does not mean I am right! I have discovered this painful lesson several times, and waiting for the “dust to settle” is especially hard, and can be very isolating.

I think the Psalmist felt something of this pain as he sang: “…How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand…?” Whilst “enemy” may a strong word in my personal experiences, active negativity can wear away patience, and even any hope for a better outcome! So, I need to learn the
secret of faithful waiting, of trusting waiting to allow the opportunity for growth of new insights and discernment, as I wait on God for guidance and blessing.

Creative pause: Learning the secret of faithful waiting, of trusting waiting…

In the silence and isolation of my waiting, it has been very easy to forget that I do not wait alone. Because I initially received no answers to my prayers or my meditations, it was very easy to imagine that God was not there beside me in my waiting. After waiting with all the patience I could muster, with an active hope that my waiting will not be in vain, it was amazing how many new blessings awaited me just around the next corner of my life! At my age, you would think I had learned a lesson or two about waiting and leaving God to open doors for me!

And what amazing doors they have been, which led into most unexpected and unexplored horizons. The words of the Taizè chorus have been a blessing to me: “Wait for the Lord: keep watch, take heart!”1 So I am learning to patiently wait…

Creative pause: “Wait for the Lord: keep watch, take heart!”1

The tone of the Psalm changed after the anguish of isolation and waiting, and the pain of apparent separation from God, and yet it proved to be the best long-term result for the author. With a renewal of confidence in God and in his own abilities, and a change of direction, he could sing: “… But I trust… I will rejoice… I will sing…. because….”

That was both the Psalmist’s and my own experiences!

I could again trust and accept the guidance I had been given; I could hope in the new direction in my life; and I could finally leave the past behind, having learned a lesson from it, because God had been so very good to me again, and yet again.

Creative pause: The joys of confidently trusting in God’s unfailing love.