Psalm Reflection: The Fourth Sunday of Advent (Cycle A)

“Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory.” - Psalm 24

As a kid, I was always getting lost. I would wander off in supermarkets, go make friends with kids across the playground, or follow the wrong family at the park. I don’t remember being scared though I’m sure I was, a but probably no where near as scared as my parents were. So, they made sure I knew the number one rule to follow when you realize you are lost: stay put. 

Staying in one place makes it easier for someone to find you or retrace their steps to you. You take an assessment of what is around you and you can start calling out for help. Sounds easy enough, right? Easier said than done. We are stubborn and want to fix the problem or find who we lost immediately, instead of patiently waiting and hoping we will be found.

It would be ridiculous for a child lost in the supermarket to think they could assess their surroundings, find their way outside, find a ride, direct the driver to the correct house, and end up back with their family all on their own. Yet, we are God’s children and we do that constantly. We are always trying to “find” God, like we lost Him in a supermarket and we’ll find Him if we make our way to the front counter. 

When we feel lost or disconnected from God, we don’t not need to go find Him, He is literally EVERYWHERE. We simply need to put ourselves in a position to be found.

Have you given Jesus permission to be the king of your heart? Have you invited Him into every part of your life and allowed Him to be in charge? Have you seriously considered how your sin, pride, and your desire for control are getting in the way of God being in control of your life? God is always working for our good, but He will not violate our free will. He gives us the choice to invite Him or reject Him, but many of us remain neutral and never make a strong decision either way. Guess what? Making no decision is a decision. God is a perfect gentleman: He will not go where He is not wanted or invited unless we ask.

So this week, ask. Invite God into your life for real, whether it’s for the first time or the first time in a long time. Give Him permission, wholeheartedly and out loud, to work in your life and be your Savior. If you need the right words to say, try something like this:

"Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on me, a sinner. I invite you to come into my life and save me. Take my heart, take my health, take my circumstances, take everything about me. I am yours.” 

Offer the Lord every day this week with this prayer and watch Him work. We are praying for you!

See you in the Eucharist.