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Hello Folks! I was woken this morning by a strange sound … the patter of raindrops on the skylight of my roof. It’s been a minute. The lush green lawns have turned a dusty brown and - during this warm, dry spell - my appetite has decreased and my thirst for naturally flavoured sparkling water has increased. How about you? Do you like the warm, dry weather? Or is the rainfall a welcome respite? I hail from the rainiest corner of rainy old England, so – to me – extended dry periods still feel unusual. I know our lawn will benefit, and today I won’t have to run around with a watering-can looking after Virginia’s flowers that look so pretty.

These past couple of weeks, I’ve missed Pastor Ken and Diane while they’ve been away on vacation. I’ve missed him when I visit the photocopier or coffee machine seeing him at his desk, bathed in the glow of a computer screen. I’ve missed being able to pop in to share a joke, an observation, or a quick question. So, it was with some delight that he was able to secure some internet access and let me know that he’d be preaching on sections of Psalm 145 in a message he calls ‘Learning to Lift Him Up’. In preparation for this week’s worship service, I read Psalm 145 (and I’d encourage you to read it ahead of time, too). My mind was immediately drawn to verse 8: ‘The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.’ This naturally led me to verse 2 of our modern praise song ‘10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)’ where we sing;

‘You’re rich in love and You’re slow to anger.

Your name is great and Your heart is kind.

For all Your goodness I will keep on singing …

Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find.’

I thanked the Holy Spirit for His leading me to that song for the glorification of God this coming Sunday. It seemed so appropriate, so right.

And then I pondered some other verses of Psalm 145, 5bI will meditate on Your wonderful works. “Yes”, I thought, we can find reasons to bless, to praise, to worship the Lord our God. We can meditate. In that one way, we can indeed learn to lift Him up.

And then I read on. To this verse, which made me stop:

14The Lord upholds all who fall

            And lifts up all who are bowed down.

The gospel tells us the Lord does indeed uphold all who fall – or rather those who have fallen away – by offering His Son, Jesus Christ, who has paid for our redemption, making us right with God, for all who will believe. But doesn’t it seem that the Lord does not always lift up those who are bowed down? In the world, there are countless numbers of people who starve and even die without their desires being satisfied. Psalm 145 is poetry. And while these lines express God’s faithfulness to His creation in general, they don’t mean we won’t face any hardships. But we can meditate. We can learn. We can see that these expressions of God’s faithfulness and care are often shown in spiritual and eternal ways, if not always in physical ways. Meditate. Learn. Learn to trust God with our very lives.

Because everyone has burdens. In our church family, there are those bowed down with burdens of the loss of health, of finances, of relationships, of family, of faith. Sometimes, as David expresses in this Psalm, our burdens seem more than we can bear. We struggle and stumble under the weight of these worries and concerns, wondering how we can go on; 15The eyes of all look to You

But sometimes, like David, we remember that the answer to our problem is found in the great burden-bearer, our God.

Here’s a brief story, from the book Dark Symbols, Obscure Signs. The author, Riggins R. Earle Jr. recounts the story of a former slave, Charlie, who encounters his old master 30 years after escaping. Here is their conversation:

The former master asked, “Charlie, do you remember me lacerating your back?”

Charlie said, “Yes, sir”

“Have you forgiven me?”

“Yes, I have forgiven you.”

The former master then asked, “How can you forgive me, Charlie?”

Charlie replied, “I love you as though you never hit me a lick, for the God I serve is a God of love, and I can’t go to His kingdom with hate in my heart.”

The old master held out his hand and said, “I’m sorry for what I did.”

Shaking hands. Charlie answered, “That’s all right. I done left the past behind me.”

God not only lifted from Charlie the burden of injustice and unjust servitude, He more importantly lifted from Charlie the burden of bitterness. That bitterness, while justifiable or at least understandable, would have become debilitating for Charlie.

That supernatural lifting of our burdens is laid profoundly on my heart, and in my prayers for us, as we journey together in this life in Christ.

Once again, let’s meet again Sunday morning to be in communion with each other and the triune God, expressing love and thanks to the most gracious and burden-lifting God, our Father in heaven. Learning to lift Him up. Until then, have a worshipful week within the deep shalom-peace of heaven.

Here’s a springboard for our personal prayer time:

Father God, I offer You this burden …
- Neil