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LENTEN DEVOTIONALS

As part of our Lenten journey together as a church to Easter, we will be posting Lenten reflections and practices from a variety of sources.

To read a devotional, please click a link below.

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Covenant

Welcome to Musings! As participants in the conversations on this blog, we covenant together that we will maintain a spirit of good will, of openness to each other, and of mutual respect in our discussions; that we will listen to each other and endeavor to understand each other, especially those whose views differ from ours; and that we will remember that we are brothers and sisters in Christ.

Why Musings?

  • The Musings Page will be a place to consider thought-provoking, evocative, sometimes polemical but not overtly political, writings, quotes, ideas, and poetry on the Christian life in all its facets: spiritual, religious, ethical, and practical.

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Musings

December 9, 2011

posted on December 9, 2011 by Musings

Second Friday in Advent – Resting in Hope


Hear my prayer, O LORD;
let my cry come to you.
Do not hide your face from me
in the day of my distress.
Incline your ear to me;
answer me speedily in the day when I call.

Psalm 102: 1-2

God is the Ultimate Communicator.  He communicates His unending love for us through the birth, life and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus.  He also demonstrates His grace and love for us by allowing communication with Him through prayer.  Prayer gives us the opportunity to show dependence on Him, and allows us to praise Him.  But I can’t help but to wonder, “How can a sovereign God – a fierce, omniscient, mighty, everlasting God need for us to petition to Him?”  Well, He doesn’t.  The whole truth of the matter is that He wants us to seek Him with ALL of ourselves, to respond to His love for us in a posture of humble reverence through prayer.

The psalmist’s prayer in this scripture is a request for God to hear his plea and for God to not hide His face.  Have you ever experienced a time when you plea and lament over a season of life where you feel His face is turned from you?  I certainly know I have.  In those seasons, I have to remember that there is hope.  We serve a God who is faithful, who hears our requests.  If you read the scripture further, the psalmist describes that God will “regard the prayer of the destitute, and will not despise their prayer.”  He goes on to tell us that “God heard the cries from his holy height”.  Now that is some Good News!

Because of the love of the Father, the true hope we find in Advent is the assurance of redemption.  We can take rest and comfort in the fact that God is listening, He is faithful, He is unchanging, He is here.  Seek Him.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we praise you for your listening ear and allowing us the grace to come into your presence through prayer.  Help us to drown out the distractions so that we may be able to wholly seek you.  Help us to show others the peace, love, hope and joy we celebrate during this season and to rest in the hope found in the ultimate gift of the Savior we wait and prepare for, Christ the Lord.

Today’s reflection was written by Ginger Collier, Communications Director, First Presbyterian Church, Shreveport

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