I Remember You

I REMEMBER YOU

a prayer to open

Here’s my heart, Lord. Speak what is true.

Here’s my life, Lord. Speak what is true.

O God, you are my God;

I earnestly search for you.

My soul thirsts for you;

my whole body longs for you

in this parched and weary land

where there is no water.

I have seen you in your sanctuary

and gazed upon your power and glory.

Your unfailing love is better than life itself;

how I praise you!

I will praise you as long as I live,

lifting up my hands to you in prayer.

You satisfy me more than the richest feast.

I will praise you with songs of joy.

I lie awake thinking of you,

meditating on you through the night.

Because you are my helper,

I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.

I cling to you;

your strong right hand holds me securely.

But those plotting to destroy me will come to ruin.

They will go down into the depths of the earth. . . .

But the king will rejoice in God.

All who swear to tell the truth will praise him,

while liars will be silenced.

There are times when it feels as though God is far away. We don’t sense his presence, we feel alone, and we wonder if he was ever there at all. We long for a fresh touch of his love and grace, but it doesn’t come. This psalm reminds us to keep holding on to what we know to be true—we have experienced his presence and we have seen his power in our lives—and praise him for who we know him to be. How might our lives be shaped if in moments of God’s seeming absence we remember his faithfulness and worship him?

• Read this passage again slowly. What word or phrase stands out to you? Why do you think that word or phrase speaks to you? What does it say?
• Reflect on a time during which you longed for God but couldn’t sense his presence. How did you navigate that time? What thoughts and feelings went through your mind? How did that time come to an end, or how do you hope it will come to an end?
• List two or three times in your life when God’s presence was noticeably evident. Who would be a good person to share your list with so that when you have doubts or don’t sense God’s presence, your friend can remind you and encourage you to sing his praise even then? Make plans to share your list with this person.

You, Lord, are my Lord. I seek you and thirst for your presence. I have seen you work in my life in small and big ways. You delight in me and have walked with me in valleys. You have appeared to me in the kindness and grace of friends, family, and strangers. You will never leave me. When I cannot feel your presence, remind me of the times I unmistakably sensed your love and goodness, and open my eyes to your presence. Amen.