Susan LaffertyThe psalmist cries out to the Lord. And God hears his cry, inclining His ear toward a desperate appeal. For mercy.
In the telling of his story, the psalmist goes back and forth.
Between relief and alarm. Death and rescue.
The way we often do.
In the context of crisis.
Seasoned servant. Leaving, after spending many years in the dark city by the river. Her parting advice to one of our colleagues is borne out of long experience in the spiritual battle.
Those insightful words reach my ears at a retreat in the Himalayas.
One phrase sticks in my heart. And comes to mind, from time to time.
“Do you want to seem holy? Or be holy?”
In days of distress and disgrace, a written message arrives. From the enemy.
Dire threats. Mocking words. Blasphemy.
And Hezekiah goes to the temple. Spreading out the letter of his adversary before the Lord.
This king’s response informs my praying. For the persecuted. Those suffering greatly today. In the face of opposition to the gospel.
