Today the response between the verses of the 94th Psalm is important: The Lord will not abandon his people. How can we fully understand our relationship to God who never abandons the people he loved into creation when our lives are so filled with other relationships -- people, things and work
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Ask a senior citizen the meaning of "24/7." Most likely you get a face staring in wonderment. However, many 21st century workers see "24/7" as a fitting description of who they are. Those three numbers might best describe the way of life for many. In just three weeks, I have learned that most who work on this famous Hill wear the 24/7 pin on a jacket or blouse. Today most Americans are described as busy people. For so many it is difficult to think of oneself beyond an occupation.
Expectations and preoccupations are the beams of the crosses many carry today. Work, work and more work. Each evening, as I walk around the front of our church, I notice how many lights burn in the office buildings on the Hill. I marvel that so many can find the time to be present for the noontime liturgy so regularly.
To understand completely that God will never abandon us demands of us real inner freedom. How can we trust any moment when work and preoccupations weigh down 24/7? How can we come together in the fullest spirit to experience the presence and promise of God ... be it Father, Son or Holy Spirit?
We can discover the richness of God in our lives only when we afford time for ourselves to be with him. Fill a life to the max with the spirit of 24/7 and we prevent the freeing Spirit of God from finding even a small corner of the heart. Usually we turn to what is not good for our souls.
It is so difficult for contemporary man and woman to abandon oneself to God. It can even be frightening because we know we have to face our true selves. We cannot possibly understand that divine love when living a 24/7 existence that is truly not who we are.
