Summons to Life

Friday in the Second Week of Lent

Come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
Psalm 95:1

The longing washes over me and I think I might drown in desolation. Then the feeling passes, and I know myself to have sure footing. Still, a dull ache in my heart lurks underneath the activities of the day, robbing me of ease and enjoyment of everyday things.

I recognize this as a place I get stuck sometimes, a rocky terrain in the wilderness where small annoyances elicit outsized frustration and I get caught in unconstructive ruminations. Working at it will not help. My salvation lies elsewhere.

I open my mouth in prayer, words I have prayed for much of my lifetime, and discover a shout of joy I had not looked for. It has been there for a very long time; I have simply passed it by without noticing.

The path of Lent asks me to renew repentance and faith, to seek God’s mercy for being deaf to the call to serve, to confess hypocrisy, to turn from my wickedness. The way can be difficult. But hardship and anguish are not its purpose. The summons is to the path of life. The invitation is to enter into God’s eternal joy.

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