Hello All,
Our Lenten devotional today is written by Brooke Nickell. Brooke is a first year student at TCU from Kansas City, Missouri. She is a double major in Criminal Justice and Journalism on the pre-law track with a minor in Religion. Prior to coming to TCU she served on the Regional Youth Cabinet of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the Kansas City area. In this work, she connected with TCU’s Disciples on Campus student organization where she currently serves as a first year leadership apprentice. Brooke is also involved in Greek life, the honors college, LEAPS, and is a Sunday School teacher at her local church. In her free time she loves to be outdoors, or reading a good book. May her devotional today bring you a moment to hit pause in the midst of the chaos and reflect on God’s presence in your life. Blessings to you and yours. –Rev. Lea McCracken, Associate Chaplain
Psalm 121
A song of ascents.
I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
Reflection:
The book of Psalms may be my favorite in the entire bible. From joy to praise to laments, Psalms capture raw human emotion through a medley of hymns, poetry, and prayers. While there are many beautiful poems in the book that display this, Psalm 121 is a personal favorite of mine, as it always seems to catch up to me when I need it most. As a freshman in college, I have found the first thing to slip when I get stressed is my faith and patience in God’s plan. In the busyness of college life, it is incredibly easy for us to get caught in the rush of day-to-day insanity and fall into the pattern of “me, me, me,” placing the weight of the world on our shoulders. In this chaotic phase of life, it is so easy to feel isolated and lost on our journey. Each time I am reintroduced to this psalm, I am freshly reminded of the power God holds over our lives. It reminds us that as we journey through new paths He is always walking with us, even in times when we may be too distracted to notice.
As a Sunday school teacher at University Christian Church, I frequently get to witness the pure, wonder-filled faith of children. There is a common children’s hymn that repeats “He’s got the whole world in his hands,” then proceeds to work its way through all sorts of different things that God holds, ending with “He’s got everyone here in his hands.” The pure, simplistic “childlike faith” tends to serve as a reminder that our relationship with God does not have to be complicated. Children’s ministry centers around questions, wonder, trust, and hope. As simple as these adjectives seem, they hold the key to building a connection with God in our most complicated times. Despite what we may feel, our relationship with God does not have to match the complexity of everyday life. The God that holds the whole world in his hands is never out of reach; there is no criteria to feel his love.
During the season of Lent, Psalm 121 serves as a reminder to cultivate a sense of gratitude and appreciation for God’s unconditional love. Sometimes, the hardest thing to do is release internal pressures from yourself with the faith that God is watching over you. Holding onto that childlike faith and trusting that he will not let your foot slip creates a sense of peace in a chaotic, unpredictable world. The language of Psalm 121 is simple, but it is so easy to take for granted. How lucky we are that we have a God who will keep us from harm, who watches our comings and goings, and who is always paying attention. This season of Lent, whatever part of your life’s journey you are on, know that the God who holds the whole world in his hands is with you every step of the way.
Let us pray:
God, you made the heavens and earth and each and every one of us.
You hold the whole world in your hands, and yet you walk with us along each step of our lives. Forgive us for the times when our faith slips, when the pace of life feels overwhelming, and our minds are crowded with responsibilities.
Remind us that we were never meant to carry the weight of the world on our own.
Give us the gift of childlike faith, allow us to trust you with the simplicity and confidence of a child who knows they are held. Remind us that you are always with us and quiet our hearts as we move through the season of Lent. Amen.