Category Archives: Understanding

God trusts you to entrust

O Lord, I call upon Thee; hasten to me! Psalm 141: 1

Have you ever been in trouble in your life? If yes, what was the first thought that came to your mind then? Yes of course, I can imagine, it would be how to get out of it. But then if you could not come out of it yourself, you would want someone to help you out of it. There is an inner cry in every human being when in trouble or sorrow for someone to hasten to help him or her out of that trouble and lead them to a better place of peace and quietness.

But some of us get disappointed because people don’t respond or hasten to rescue us from such situations. I have heard a lot of people tell me that no one cares and no one bothers to come by or help out. We take it for granted that people are supposed to rush to our aid in time of need. Some think it is their right to be helped even when they have not asked for it. Some expect people to understand what is going on in their lives even when they don’t like to share what is going on with them. We all do want someone to hasten to us. Have you ever called upon others to ask for it?

Here the Psalmist tells us how to get help. He is calling upon the all knowing God to tell God what is going on in his life. He did not take it for granted, even when he could have, that God needs to come to his rescue everytime he wanted God to come. Rather he chose to call upon the Lord in humility. He chose to talk to God like a child. He cried for help and wanted it in a hurry – yesterday. Nothing was hidden. He talked to like a child. I wish we could all do the same and ask God to rush even if our hearts tell us God knows everything. I wish we could share with those around us what is going on in our lives before we take offence at someone not showing up or responding to when we needed them. If God likes to be called upon, be sure your friends and family would like to hear from you too. In God’s case, he can understand everything regardless. But your family and friends can not easily understand what is going on until you share. Call upon God and call upon your friends and be assured that someone will hasten to be on your side. Trust in God and God will trust you in return to entrust you with greater things.

Blessings

Fr. Jos

Give me understanding

Give me understanding, that I may learn Thy commandments. Psalm 119: 73b

This is a wonderful prayer of the Psalmist. We live in a shrinking world with varieties of cultures, languages and races. One word seem to mean many things when we add the cultural, ethnic and language differences. Understanding is not an easy thing as each word in a cultural context might be slightly different from another. When the psalmist prays for understanding, the psalmist is asking God’s help to know the intended meaning of a word and a phrase rather than the emotion seem to have contained in a word.

Every time when we hear someone say something that does not make any sense to us or if a word hurts us may be we can start praying the same, “Lord bless me with knowledge of the intended meaning of a word that hurts us rather than the sound of a few syllables”. Many wars, feuds, heartaches and trouble in this world can be avoided if only we can ask for more understanding from God, and of course from the other, each time we hear a word that did not sound right. As every word that is spoken is a powerful weapon, another word spoken in retaliation might bring more havoc. We carry a weapon with us that can stab the other in the back and us in the front at the same time. Our words are powerful and our understanding of it makes us spacious within.

Only when we learn the intended meaning of words we can really start learning and living the Ten commandments. Each commandment in itself has more than just the a few phrases and nuances. Each commandment is rich with more and more meaning when it reaches from culture to languages to races to people. We need God’s help to learn, grasp and keep God’s law. Pray with me please saying, give me understanding O Lord, that I may keep your law in my heart. Make my understanding spacious that my words may be gracious.

Blessings
Fr. Jos