12/2: Oh my lord

Silence and Stillness before God (2 minutes)

Hear my prayer, Lord;
    listen to my cry for mercy.
When I am in distress, I call to you,
    because you answer me.
Psalm 86:6-7 
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Written by Melanie Winters:

My kids have been getting on my case, because I’ve been saying, “Oh my Lord” lately. I taught them, as every dutiful Christian parent does, that we don’t take the Lord’s name in vain. (I like to think I explained it more thoroughly and less Christian-ese than that, but let’s face it, I probably didn’t.) 

They’re not wrong, I have been saying “Oh my Lord” often, but it’s not in the form of a curse, and it’s certainly not in vain. It’s me calling out regularly for my Lord and His presence and comfort. Because it hasn’t been easy to feel His hope, peace, joy, and love in 2020. It requires a little more effort. It requires a few more reminders. It requires consciously saying, “My Lord.” He’s still there. When one more thing doesn’t go as expected, hope for His kingdom to come is still there. When I’m rushing from one thing to the next, on a never ending hamster wheel, His peace is with me. When I’m holding crying kids who are heartbroken over something else that just isn’t the same, His joy can still sustain us. And His love? Oh man. His love is something else. I feel I can pretty solidly state, without the Love of my Lord, I wouldn’t still be standing at the end of 2020.

So “Oh my Lord.” Yes and amen.
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Lord, sometimes the best we can do is simply express how much we need you. Thank you for the gift of your presence. Come, Lord Jesus, come.

Conclude with Stillness (2 minutes)