Change Can Feel
Good!
Scripture: 1 Samuel
15:34- 16:13 The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since
I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your
way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to
be king.”- 1 Samuel 16:1
Worship Music:
"Feeling Good", By Nina Simone. By Leslie
Bricusse. Piano Vocal. 8 pages. Published by Cherry Lane Music (HL.354090)
One Monday, six years ago, I
awoke to discover that I could neither walk nor feel my body below the waist. A
sleepwalking fall sometime during the night badly injured my back. Three days
later terrible, soul-killing pain started in my foot; doctors diagnosed it as
permanent and incurable.
Needless to say, in the days
and months to follow, I cycled through repeated stages of grief: denial,
depression / anger, bargaining, acceptance and back again. Greater than my justice issues was my guilt,
surprisingly, and my feelings of utter uselessness. How could I serve God with
excellence when I could not walk or drive, or when pain made it impossible for me
to concentrate; I was at a loss because the perimeters by which I measured my
life had fallen away. I was drowning, and looking for anything, anyone who
could return a measure of control to my broken, bleeding life. Times of
change, grief, fear and uncertainty can scare us back to the status quo, even
when such a choice is to our detriment.
Today’s reading tells us
about Saul’s downfall and David’s pronouncement as king. God called on the
prophet Samuel to proffer the exchange.
Samuel knew Saul; Saul was
not a particularly good King, nonetheless he was familiar, so it grieved Samuel
greatly for God to reject him and instruct Samuel to anoint another king. Samuel grieved for the missed opportunities, for the coming drama and even for the
personal danger this mission brought.
God knew his heart, but eventually grew impatient with Saul for
continuing to embrace what God had rejected.
When faced with change, good
or bad, we must learn to trust the God of the future with our future. God’s “I AM – ness” assures us that we need
not fear the future nor hold on to the past.
The God who has the whole world under control has our future in control,
and when we trust God, fully, we can face the uncertainty of the future, our
“New Day” feeling good!
Prayer: Lord of all
eternity, we thank you that you have our futures carefully ensconced in your
hands, and regardless to the situation
You are working in it for our good! In
Jesus’ Name, AMEN.
The Reverend Dr. Cynthia McCullough
No comments:
Post a Comment