Psalm Reflection: The Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle B

“I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.” - Psalms 32

It is infuriating.

It makes the anger well up in me like no other situation can.

You have been there too, right?

You have a problem, so you call customer service… and what always happens?

Instead of talking to a real person, you end up having to listen to every option on an automated system, or you are stuck talking to a deaf robot that cannot accurately hear or interpret anything you are saying.

Ridiculous.

Everyone ends up hitting “0” for the operator anyway, because we do not want to wait around talking to a machine. 

We want a solution. 

We need an answer.

And when we cannot find one it can be incredibly frustrating.

We can often adopt the same attitude in the way we approach God.

Have you ever come to God in prayer looking for an answer, only to hear silence?

Have you ever been struggling or suffering and felt that God was not there?

Have you ever been angry at God because there did not seem to be a satisfying explanation for the things you went through?

This Sunday’s Responsorial Psalm is a lesson from King David. Psalm 32 is one of David’s Psalms of lament, which is obvious in verses 3-4:

Because I kept silent, my bones wasted away;

I groaned all day long.

For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;

my strength withered as in dry summer heat.

How dramatic. And yet how often we too have felt this same way before God with our questions, our doubts, and our suffering.

The interesting thing about the Psalm response this week is that David does not mention finding a solution to his troubles. David simply says, “I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.” 

He does not experience joy because God gave him an answer.

He experiences joy because turning to God is the answer.

We can get so caught up in the questions and frustrations of every day life that we can fail to see the big picture.

We have a faithful God who we can trust and who can handle absolutely everything in our lives. He has already completely taken care of the greatest problem in the grand scheme of eternity: our salvation.

He became man to suffer for our sins and die on a cross so that death would be defeated and we could have eternal life with Him forever. If He can do that, He can handle anything and everything in my life.

I do not need to whine, complain, doubt, or fear, because I worship a God who saved the entire human race. All I need to do is to simply receive that gift, respond to it with faith, and trust that He has a plan for my life. I do not need a solution, because the only solution that truly matters has already been given to me. Everything else pales in comparison to eternal salvation.

Now, I am not advocating for an approach where we do not care about our responsibilities and the things of this world, but they must be put into their proper perspective. These things should never provoke us to anger or doubt in the Lord, because He has already proven to us that He has eternity handled.

So, whatever is going on in your life, turn to the Lord and have joy in the knowledge that He has already saved you, He is saving you every day, and He will come again one day to save us for good. Trust in the knowledge that God is faithful and will always provide a way out:

No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it. - 1 Corinthians 10:13

This week, bring everything to Him in prayer. Pick up the spiritual customer support line and, although you may not get an answer or a solution, you will be talking with the operator of the universe, your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

No bureaucracy.

No oversimplified, automated responses.

No anger or frustration.

Only the peace and joy that comes from knowing that God has it all under control.

I am praying for you, please pray for me, and I will see you in the Eucharist.

Matt

This reflection is based on the Responsorial Psalm for this Sunday, February 11th, 2024, which is The Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle B: Psalms 32:1-2, 5, 11.