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11 April 2008
Word on the Web
Psalm 73 v 26-28
My body and my mind may become weak, but God is my strength.
He is mine forever.
Those who are far from God will die; you destroy those who are unfaithful.
But I am close to God, and that is good. The Lord God is my protection.
I will tell all that you have done.
So has the writer of this psalm come to the end of life and this is a reflection of the inseparability from God? It is not because the writer has a great strong will that this bond with God is achieved. It is in weakness that it all becomes clear and God becomes the source of strength.
I attended a funeral of a friend recently and one speaker told the story of when my friend was receiving a bed bath from two nurses. He said it was like being lifted up by angels, which, to those who knew him, was not the kind of thing he would usually say. His funeral service told more of the story of his last months and days. It became clear that his healing came through his vulnerability. Vulnerability doesn't mean taking risks or leaving ourselves open to harm. Here, it means being open to God, allowing ourselves to sense and know that God is touching our hearts, while we step out from behind our defences, whatever they may be. Sometimes this may happen for us in the briefest of moments but always it is a continuous lifetime journey, while along the way we gradually, slowly, become more as God intends us to be.
O God, be it at the beginning or at the end, when I am ready to step out from behind my shield, be there for me. Amen.
Written by Denis Tully
Word on the Web
Psalm 73 v 26-28
My body and my mind may become weak, but God is my strength.
He is mine forever.
Those who are far from God will die; you destroy those who are unfaithful.
But I am close to God, and that is good. The Lord God is my protection.
I will tell all that you have done.
So has the writer of this psalm come to the end of life and this is a reflection of the inseparability from God? It is not because the writer has a great strong will that this bond with God is achieved. It is in weakness that it all becomes clear and God becomes the source of strength.
I attended a funeral of a friend recently and one speaker told the story of when my friend was receiving a bed bath from two nurses. He said it was like being lifted up by angels, which, to those who knew him, was not the kind of thing he would usually say. His funeral service told more of the story of his last months and days. It became clear that his healing came through his vulnerability. Vulnerability doesn't mean taking risks or leaving ourselves open to harm. Here, it means being open to God, allowing ourselves to sense and know that God is touching our hearts, while we step out from behind our defences, whatever they may be. Sometimes this may happen for us in the briefest of moments but always it is a continuous lifetime journey, while along the way we gradually, slowly, become more as God intends us to be.
O God, be it at the beginning or at the end, when I am ready to step out from behind my shield, be there for me. Amen.
Written by Denis Tully
