Psalm 28: 
The Rock
Monday, December 30, 2019
In today’s Gospel John the Baptist tells us that he went out to the desert and there he encountered God; we are reminded that we must go apart, from time to time, as Jesus did to recoup, to re-focus, to re-listen. Even the one who heals all wounds and mends all brokenness goes off to pray for a little while.
Today’s Noontime focuses us on the origin of our strength.
To you, My Lord, I call; my Rock, do not be deaf to me. It is in the heat of desert days that we find an unyielding foundation on which to put our feet. Our foundation is the Rock, the Lord.
The Lord is my strength and my shield, in whom my heart trusted and found help. It is in the chill of the desert nights that we discover we need constant protection from the buffets of the world. We find this protection in the Rock, the Lord.
If you fail to answer me, I will join those who go down to the pit. It is in the desert extremes that we realize we are nothing, our puny resources are for naught without the Rock, the Lord.
So my heart rejoices; with my song I praise my God. It is in the harsh, desert reality, with all resources stripped away, that we come to understand the value of our relationship with the Rock, the Lord.
Lord, you are the strength of your people, the saving refuge of your anointed king. It is in the beauty of the desert simplicity that we come to believe that the Rock, our Lord, loves us more than we have imagined.
Rather than fear loss we must be open to its message, for although God is our constant companion we do not feel God’s true presence because we have filled our days with our own activity.
Rather than lament a world that is woefully off course, we might instead turn to the Rock, the Lord, for sustenance and hope.
Rather than funnel our energy into petty arguments and the useless struggle over power we do not even possess, we might rely instead on the Rock, the Lord, for clarity of vision and purity of intent.
Rather than hide our envy and resentment over the good fortune of others, we might look to the Rock, the Lord, for a steadfast spirit and a constant heart.
Prepare the way of the Lord, The Baptist calls out the words of the prophet Isaiah. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill made low. When we journey into the desert to better hear the Lord, our way will be smoothed out for us by the Lord. No more will we skitter down steep slopes as we travel. No more will we exhaust ourselves as we climb over the huge problems that appear before us. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth. No more will we worry which way to turn and which way to go. And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. The Lord, our Rock, assures us of our rescue.
As we reflect and pray in this Christmastide, let us return with The Baptist to the desert, let us listen again to the familiar words of Isaiah, and let us build our permanent home on the only Rock that both rescues and sustains. Let us wait on the Lord.
Adapted from a reflection first posted on December 9, 2012.
Image from: http://www.ehow.com/info_8087024_deserts-drive-through.html
The Noontimes 
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