Heard

"Blessed be God,
   because he has not rejected my prayer
   or removed his steadfast love from me. "  Psalm 66:20  NRSV

This verse is part of a larger Psalm that sings thanks to God for taking Israel out of Egypt and caring for them through many difficulties.  Israel found strength when they remembered all that God had done. They also found more difficulties when they forgot how God had sustained them and rescued them.

I find myself really drawn to the history of Israel.  Their experience echoes in my own life, as I realize how often I can forget God's steadfast love.  As Rumi  says "for sixty years I've been forgetful every minute".  When days like today hit, when my head and body ache, when the path ahead is foggy and comples, when I'm weary and just plain tired of fighting the battle it is easy for me to forget.  But God does not forget me...God does not forget his dear ones, whether it is Esrael, or you and me. We are not rejected or alone.

When I was about 13, I was feeling very much alone and awkward, as teens often are.  I felt far away from any friends and rather lost.  I didn't know God very well, but I instinctively knew that I needed God's help.  I prayed and cried out to God to help me.  Not long after, a new pastor who had come to our home congregation stopped by our house and he invited me to confirmation class (an intense three-year learning program in Christian faith).  Gratefully, my parents agreed for me to start classes, and then committed to taking me to class and worship every week.  God was faithful in answering my prayer, and over those years I learned of grace, met new, amazing friends and began to find my purpose in life.

Today's challenge is to remember at least one time in which God has led us through difficulties.  Let us remember how God has saved us through Jesus, and how God has moved in our life and rescued us. 
Look back...When did God lead you?  When has God remembered you and God's grace embraced you?
Remembering those times gives us strength in these days when illness and difficulties surround us.

Remembering God's actions in the past reminds and encourages us to trust in God's care today.

Faithful God, you have heard the cries of your people throughout the ages. Help us rememeber your work in our lives in the past, and lead us to greater trust as we face today's difficulties. Amen.