Words from the Weary Wilderness - Lenten Journey - Third Sunday in Lent
posted on March 15
The Third Sunday in Lent Sunday, March 20
Our Third Little Easter
The Sundays of Lent are not considered in the count of the season’s 40 days. Sundays are for celebrating the resurrection on each phase of life’s journey. During Lent we have several “Little Easters” to refresh us along our way. We will read the Psalm appointed for each Sunday in Lent in 2022.
Read: Psalm 63:1-8
Comfort and Assurance in God’s Presence
A Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah.
1 O God, you are my God, I seek you,
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
3 Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands and call on your name.
5 My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast,
and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
6 when I think of you on my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
7 for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
8 My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.
9 But those who seek to destroy my life
shall go down into the depths of the earth;
10 they shall be given over to the power of the sword,
they shall be prey for jackals.
11 But the king shall rejoice in God;
all who swear by him shall exult,
for the mouths of liars will be stopped.
Today’s Word from the Weary Wilderness: “…your steadfast love is better than life…” (Psalm 63:3a)
Reflection: On our little Easters, we continue to hear words of help and protection, for “in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.” (v. 7) In the midst of desert hunger and thirst, God is with us. As we wrestle with what life has for us in the wilderness, we find that God’s “love is better than life” itself. The psalmist believes not only in provision, but in justice. Those who trust God through the hard times will receive their reward. What hardships are you currently experiencing that God might step into and bring to a just conclusion? Praise God today that God is holding you in the hollow of His hand, aware of your circumstances and working for a resolution.
Prayer: God of the Wilderness, we rejoice today that you have given us a Little Easter. You nourish us today with the rich feast of this Psalm, and you protect us from all the predators of the wilderness. Thank you for your awareness of our circumstances, and your provision for us. May we feel it, even when we cannot always see it. Amen.
Blessings of Peace and Health,
Bev
Rev. Beverly B. Coppley
District Superintendent
& Chief Missional Strategist
