Saturday, January 14, 2023

Today’s Scripture Reading
Isaiah 49:1–7

Listen to me, O coastlands, pay attention, you peoples from far away! The Lord called me before I was born, while I was in my mother’s womb he named me. He made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me away. And he said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.” But I said, “I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my cause is with the Lord, and my reward with my God.” And now the Lord says, who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him, for I am honored in the sight of the Lord, and my God has become my strength— he says, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” 

Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations, the slave of rulers, “Kings shall see and stand up, princes, and they shall prostrate themselves, because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.” (NRSV)

Reflection

Have you ever been asked to deliver a prayer in public for a group of people? Perhaps you’re reading this and will soon be preparing to deliver your first-ever prayer, out loud, in front of people, or maybe you’re a “seasoned prayer” on whom everyone calls to offer a blessing. Whatever your level of experience, you are in good company if you find yourself struggling with the “right” words to string together, to the glory of God. 

“What if I say something stupid/vapid/wrong?” “What if I stutter or forget my words?” “What if I don’t sound as holy as ‘so-and-so’?” We’re so easily prone to get pretzel-bent into tizzies! It’s as if, like the psalmist, we have “labored in vain” and “spent [our] strength for nothing and vanity,” even as our “cause is in the Lord.” When we focus so intently on ourselves, it is little wonder that we find ourselves in distress. 

We do best when we remember, like the psalmist, that our “cause is with the Lord, and our reward with our God.” When we remember the one to whom our efforts are directed and focus our attention on God, we find our True North, and, through God’s grace, we may find “our fears relieved,” to borrow from the time-honored hymn “Amazing Grace.”

God is always ready and willing to use us as beacons of hope in a devastated world. Just as God saw fit to speak words of restoration to a downtrodden Israel, God intends for us to delight in and work to promote the paths of justice, righteousness, and well-being through the power of Divine guidance. To those ends, may our words, by the power of God, be “polished arrows.” 

Prayer

O Worker of Wonders, we offer you our full selves today, trusting in you as the source of our strength. Sharpen our focus so that we may see and know the beauty that surrounds us, so that we, too, may take part in its majesty. Amen. 

Written by Nancy Benson-Nicol, Associate Pastor for Caring Ministries and Spiritual Formation    

Reflection and prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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