Everyone likes to be comfortable. It sometimes seems to me that we feel that
comfort is one of our inalienable rights – along with life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness. However there is
danger in comfort, and that danger is named, “complacency.” When we become complacent, we begin to take
things for granted: the price of gas,
the love of our family, the protection of our home, the ability to enjoy a
stroll in the park, our jobs, and even God’s grace.
This happens to all of us. It is a symptom of our selfish sinful nature
that we become so self-absorbed that we fail to be diligent in our thanks,
appreciation, and care for other important aspects of our lives. So in complacency we begin to ignore our
children, we do not communicate with our spouses, we go through life oblivious
to the best things, and our faith begins to feel like going through the
motions. And then what happens?
Bang!
Troubles hit! The bottom falls
out of the economy, people lose jobs, a child gets sick, a spouse gets angry,
and God feels far away. And all of a
sudden, complacency is gone and we have to struggle for the good things we
enjoy in our lives.
Perhaps the scenario is overly simplified,
but it goes well with the prayer in Psalm 61.
One can easily imagine King David, comfortable and secure, and all of a
sudden: trouble! Absalom usurps him, an enemy attacks, or some
other trouble comes to the fore and he prays, “Hear my cry, O God, listen to my
prayer; from the ends of the earth I call to your when my heart is faint.”
So often we feel in our troubles that we are
at, “the ends of the earth.” We have
this sensation of being far away from loved ones and even from God. But in those moments God is near to draw us
to Himself inviting us to return to His Word and Promise. We hear Him speak, and then we remind God
(and ourselves!), “You have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.”
With that thought we are putting our feet on
a solid foundation, and secure place to begin from. We are no longer living from our comfort,
lulled to complacency, but our lives are built upon Christ – the king who
endures to all generations and is enthroned forever. (v.6)
As we call on God to lead us into His presence, taking shelter under his
wings, as the psalm says, that changes our relationship to our lives and our
troubles.
Focused on God’s steadfast love and
faithfulness, we then begin to work at keeping our vows. We do what God has called us to do within our
vocations; husband and wife build one another up in the things they say and the
way they sacrifice and serve one another, parents lovingly lead their children
striving to not exasperate them, employees honor their employers and work
diligently, employers are thankful for employers and treat them with dignity,
people rejoice in the world God has created and take care of it, and sinners
gather in God’s presence to receive forgiveness in Word and Sacrament, singing
praises to God’s name. All of this is
possible because we are set right with God through the Cross of Christ.
A right and good life, although not necessarily
comfortable, flows from a right relationship with God. It is as His forgiven people, transformed by
the Holy Spirit into the image of Christ, that we begin to be whole, healthy,
and strong in our relationships with one another, the world we live in, and our
God.
Lord Jesus, You are enthroned forever because You died for my sins and have
risen again. Forgive me for my sins and
let that forgiveness flow into every part of my life to transform me to be like
You. Amen.
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