Psalm 71:1-6

This week was supposed to be a bright new start for me.  I had so many plans.  I could see the positive trajectory and knew it would foretell the great things that would come.  And then it was not.  And things did not unfold as bright and beautiful as I would have wished.  Nothing, fell into place as I had hoped.  When life overwhelms, when things fall apart, when our peace is shattered and our dreams pop and reality is very different, we can turn to God.  God is our refuge, our deliverer.  I don’t know what was going on in the Psalmist life at this point.  And I think the scriptures don’t tell us so that we don’t compare.  I could surmise that my troubles this week are not nearly as big as those of the Psalmist and that I do not need “rescued” or “delivered” in quite the same way.  But the depth of his struggles compared to mine is meaningless.  I call out to my God and I know God hears my plea.  God knows where I am and the level to which I am discouraged by how this particular week is panning out, and God will not put me to shame.  God hears my plea.  I know I can trust God to not scoff at my problems no matter how big or how small. When I sit in the middle of my discouragement, I know I have a God I can trust and I know that I will be able to continue to trust God with whatever next week holds as well.  And even when things are not going the way I want them too, even though this week has been much more of a struggle than I would have wished and I feel disappointed with its outcomes, I can still praise God, because God sees, God hears and I can trust God to be my hope in all things.

In you, O Lord, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame. 

In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me and save me. 

Be to me a rock of refuge, a strong fortress, to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. 

Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel. 

For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth.
Upon you I have leaned form my birth; it was you who took me from my mother's womb. My praise is continually of you.