Today’s scripture: Psalm 131 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message)
As you read, consider: What might God be saying to me? Summarize your thoughts in a sentence or two.
My thoughts (Mark Shoup):
I am the proud father of a very co-dependant schnauzer.
Ausker is a very easy going, loveable dog as long as I am in physical contact with him. He will sit next to me while I watch television, lay at my feet while I use the computer, and lay along side of me when I sleep. In fact, while he is doing one of these three things, he will ignore the puppy chewing on his ears, remain oblivious to the ball you throw for him, and bat not an eye at the barking dogs on the television screen.
However, should it suddenly occur to him that he is not in actual physical contact with me, he will immediately set about tapping my arm with his paw. It’s as if he is saying “Daddy, have you forgotten about me? Did you forget that I was here? Please give me some kind of sign that you haven’t forgotten about me!” And once the situation has deteriorated to the paw-tapping stage, nothing but excessive amounts of petting will console his little broken heart and reassure him that I really do care and always will.
It reminds me of a line from “Winnie The Pooh” that I read when I was a kid:
Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. “Pooh!” he whispered.
“Yes, Piglet?”
“Nothing,” said Piglet, taking Pooh’s paw. “I just wanted to be sure of you.”
–A.A. Milne
I think Piglet and Ausker understand what David expresses in today’s Psalm — but so few of us really get it. That is, that God is most pleased with us when we are focused solely on God. When there is so much God in our view that we can’t see anything else. When there is so much God on our minds that we can’t think about anything else.
Thought for the day: The next time life seems overwhelming to me, I think I’m going to take a page out of my schnauzer’s book and start tapping God’s arm with my paw.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.