Pray, act, trust and give thanks

God is telling me to pray about my problems and concerns and not to try to escape them. This is what I needed to be praying last month. 

From Psalm 55:1-8:

“Give ear to my prayer, O God, And do not hide Yourself from my supplication. Attend to me, and hear me; I am restless in my complaint, and moan noisily, Because of the voice of the enemy, Because of the oppression of the wicked; For they bring down trouble upon me, And in wrath they hate me. My heart is severely pained within me...Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me...” 

“So I said, ‘Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. Indeed, I would wander far off, And remain in the wilderness. ... I would hasten my escape From the windy storm and tempest.’” 

I tried to flee, but it did not work. It never does. 

Thank You, God, that You are my only hope; You are with me, patiently pursuing me, in those times when I let fear and distress and noisy complaints block me from receiving Your presence. Thank You for rescuing me!

That was from my morning Bible reading and study. Before the morning was over, I needed to go to Walmart, something I had been putting off a couple of days. Instead of postponing another day, I turned to prayer and trusted God to prepare and protect me. 

 

I ended up with the least stressful, full-scale grocery shopping experience I've had since the start of social distancing (despite so many people not wearing masks, etc.; I wore my mask, had sanitizer and wipes with me and kept my distance from others). When I got back into my car, I said "Thank You, God!" And then one of my favorite praise songs came on the radio and I had to sing along! "Bless the Lord Oh My Soul ... sing like never before, Oh my soul, I'll worship His holy name!" 

Not everything I prayed about today has been resolved stress-free. 

Fortunately, there's more to the Scripture, and I will continue to pray, trust and give thanks as I wait on the Lord.

From Psalm 55: 16-18, 22-23  (Revised Standard Version): 

"But I call upon God, and the Lord will save me. Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and He will hear my voice. He will deliver my soul in safety from the battle that I wage  ... 

"Cast your burden on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved. But Thou, O God, wilt cast them down into the lowest pit; men of blood and treachery shall not live out half their days. But I will trust in Thee."