2ND WEEK OF LENT

I say, “You are my God.”

The words of the responsorial psalm today echo Jeremiah’s heart in the first reading. Faced with injustice and persecution by the very people he is trying to help, Jeremiah winds up being thrown into a pit of mud and left there to die. Despite trying to do the right thing and to speak on God’s behalf, he is ignored, verbally attacked, and physically hurt. Yet like the psalmist, Jeremiah declares his trust in God. He is honest about his feelings of hurt, but after a heartfelt prayer about his situation, he decides to do what God has asked him to do.

What about you? When your reputation is tarnished or your circumstances seem hopeless, how do you respond? Perhaps you feel the need to take control of the situation and try to resolve it right away. You may want to retaliate, in the name of “justice,” or dig your own way out of the mess, whatever the cost. Perhaps you think, “I can’t trust anyone else to take care of my needs. If I don’t act, and act quickly, nothing will happen. I must find a solution—now!”

Today, God’s word invites us to imitate Jeremiah. We can start with an honest prayer—“God, this feels really unfair” or “Lord, I don’t see any way out of this mess.” We can follow up with a simple declaration: “You are my God” (Psalm 31:15). As we offer this prayer, we can invite God to help us see the situation through his eyes so that we can surrender the outcome to him. We may not be delivered immediately, but as we surrender our lives and our circumstances to the Lord, we are reminding ourselves—and those around us—that God is indeed worthy of trust.

God is more than able to help you through any challenge that comes your way. You can always trust that, in his own way, he will bring about the healing, the deliverance, the wisdom, or the redemption that you most need. So try your best to look beyond the difficult circumstance you or a loved one is facing. Fix your eyes on the Lord. He is faithful and the source of all our hope.

“Lord, like the psalmist, I proclaim, ‘You are my God.’ Help me to trust in you always.”

Jeremiah 18:18-20
Matthew 20:17-28
Psalm 31:5-6, 14-16