Relieve the troubles of my heart,
and bring me out of my distress.
Consider my affliction and my trouble,
and forgive all my sins.
Consider how many are my foes,
and with what violent hatred they hate me.
O guard my life, and deliver me;
do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
May integrity and uprightness preserve me,
for I wait for you.
– Psalm 25.17-21
There is no denying that this year alone has brought a great amount of trial and tribulation in our world as a whole. A war in Ukraine, a mental health crisis, natural disasters, the continuation of a global pandemic, heartbreak, terminal illness. On top of that lie the internal battles and pressures that we face in our individual lives.
The ever consuming and never ceasing pain in this world makes it difficult to see that the light is nearer to us than we may choose to believe.
When one trouble piles on top of the next we become overwhelmed with anxiety and fear and we scramble to find the most instant relief – mindless scrolling, indulging in food or drinks, finding distraction after distraction hoping that something will fulfill us and free us from our current realities.
The Psalmist, David, shows us that there is another reality. A closer reality that we find when we put our hope in Christ. David, aware of his sinful nature and brokenness, comes before the Lord and pleads with Him for peace. Although he faces hardships, he chooses not to lose sight of the Lord and His promises. He knows that despite his imperfections the Lord will deliver him from his present anguish and give him hope for a future where all things are made new.
God makes His character known to us everyday. But when the weight of the world is heavy, we can be blind to the work He is doing and the ways He shows up. Have you ever expected God to ‘show up’ in big, extravagant ways? Have you found yourself thinking if he isn’t changing or fixing everything, maybe He isn’t there at all? It seems, more often than not, God works differently than we think He will. A friend once told me, ‘whispers of the Lord are everywhere.’ Those words have stayed with me because it has allowed me to notice the holiness that is present within the ordinary.
When we recognize how sacred the mundane tasks and events of everyday life truly are we realize that we are and always have been surrounded by the goodness of Jesus and the promise of new life.
In this Advent season, I encourage you to spend time looking for the holy moments, the moments that point towards the reality Jesus intended for us.
In it all, we wait for a reality beyond what we can imagine for right now or for what is to come.
Olivia Abdou, Advent 2022
