Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“For he did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted; he did not hide his face from me, but heard when I cried to him.”
NL Daily Devotion for Tuesday, July 6, 2021
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
This psalm is deeply heart-wrenching. Read the whole thing and put yourself in the place of the psalmist. Maybe you’re already there, experiencing oppression, or grief, or addiction, or health challenges, or any of the things that the world throws at us, leaving us crying out “My God, my God, why have your forsaken me?” (v. 1)
Then know that God is right there. God does not despise or abhor our afflictions. God does not sit somewhere far off and just wish us the best. God does not offer empty platitudes or a casserole. God sits there with you in your place, holding you and feeling every bit of your fear, grief, shame, and despair. It’s no mistake that the words of verse 1 are those Jesus cried out on the cross. God died that day with us and for us, and felt the abandonment each of us feels on our worst days. There is no pain you can experience that God does not experience with you.
God does not hide their face from us, but hears us when we cry to them.
When I am in crisis or despair, where do I think God is? How do I know?
![1 Kings 17:1-16 [17-24], God’s Care for the Widow](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b39b61ab48de92d991a40a/bf37035e-33d5-439f-a0d6-a68b02d0f1bc/24-11-03.jpg)
