Ordinary Time

Pause

Waiting can be very hard.

But sometimes as we wait, God does the most important work in us. Keeping focused and watching carefully for God’s good work in our world can renew us each and every day.

Slow down for a moment, think, reflect, and pray for God’s work as you watch and wait.

Listen

To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens! As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until he has mercy upon us.

Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt. Our soul has had more than its fill of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud.

Psalm 123

Think

Have you ever been to the optometrist? To fully examine your eye, they place drops in your eyes that open up your pupils and then focus a bright light into your eyes. Meanwhile, you are asked to look up, down, and to either side. It sounds like a very reasonable request to simply focus your gaze in one direction, but it is difficult to tell if you are looking in the right direction when you are blinded by light.

The Psalmist asks us to keep our eyes on God, watching until we can see God’s mercy. We see as we read further that the Psalmist is discouraged, and watching and waiting for mercy seems nearly impossible. Focusing our gaze on God when there is so much distraction in our lives and our world can seem impossible, especially when our hearts are filled with sorrow. But through it all, God’s mercy remains.

What is distracting you from a focused vision that seeks God’s mercy? Take time today to be intentional about your focus.

Jeanell Cox

Pray

God of Mercy, help me to truly see you today. Help me to see your work within me and within the lives of those around me. Keep me focused and help me avoid the distractions that would rob me of experiencing and sharing your mercy. Amen.

Go

Go in the light, living as a person of the day, including all those around you and yourself in the circle of God’s love. Anticipate the joy of God’s good work in you and in the world. Watch and wait with hope. Amen.