Multiple Sclerosis

Psalm 31

1 In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. 2 Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. 3 Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. 4 Free me from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge. 5 Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth. 6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols; I trust in the LORD. 7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. 8 You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place. 9 Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief. 10 My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak. 11 Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors; I am a dread to my friends — those who see me on the street flee from me. 12 I am forgotten by them as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery. 13 For I hear the slander of many; there is terror on every side; they conspire against me and plot to take my life. 14 But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God." 15 My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me. 16 Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love. 17 Let me not be put to shame, O LORD, for I have cried out to you; but let the wicked be put to shame and lie silent in the grave. 18 Let their lying lips be silenced, for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous. 19 How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you. 20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them from the intrigues of men; in your dwelling you keep them safe from accusing tongues. 21 Praise be to the LORD, for he showed his wonderful love to me when I was in a besieged city. 22 In my alarm I said, "I am cut off from your sight!" Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help. 23 Love the LORD, all his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful, but the proud he pays back in full. 24 Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.

I have a mild cae of Multiple Sclerosis. Lesions show up on my MRI. I have trouble seeing, especially in bright sunlight; the backs of my legs are often tight, and I sometimes have tingling sensations down both my arms and legs, I do not sleep well at night I can relate to the psalmist who writes: “[M]y eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief. My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak.”

This psalm reminds me that I need to place my tired body in God’s palm. “Since you are my rock and my fortress,… Into your hands I commit my spirit, But I trust you,… My times are in your hands,… How great is your goodness,…” At no place in the psalm does the writer blame God for causing afflictions. I could never love a God that directly caused all bad things to happen to me. I understand and appreciate the theological reflection that God’s Love overshadows his all-powerfulness. A loving God does all that He can to help his creatures. “In the shelter of your presence you hide them…”

Placing my life in God’s hands is often difficult for me. I want to control my destiny. Western society teaches me that I am best off when I help myself. This Psalm teaches me that I need to recognize my neediness and lay my life in God’s hands. Afflictions are not always physical. Some of our afflictions are more readily apparent, but we all have afflictions. Perhaps the greatest affliction is never acknowledging our afflictedness.

A Faithful Response: Write down your afflictions and then tear them up – ask your minister about having a service where everyone can place their torn up afflictions in an offering plate to God.

Mustard Seed Faith...

Mark 4: 26-34

26 He also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come."

My now 18 year old son began praying the dinner blessing as a very little boy. He learned good praying habits but more than that, God probably smiled at the earnest child giving thanks to God his father more than any words I can dream up. Once a small friend corrected him for saying, ‘God is great, God is great.’ My little boy in turn corrected me for using the repeated words as I proudly mimicked him at one meal. However, when I assured him that God is always great, he happily went back to praying, ‘God is great, God is great.’

College Park Baptist Church has a wonderful tradition. Easter morning the worshippers are encouraged to bring fresh flowers to put into a wire mesh surrounding a six foot cross. The whole congregation participates in this colorful procession. Huge baskets are set on the altar to collect the flowers which then are placed in the wire mesh by several members of the church. Naethan went down with the children for the first time way back when he was three. With the press of the congregational crowd, I lost track of watching him. But as I came to the front of the church with my flower to place in the basket, I spied my little boy wandering with his flower. He saw me at the same time and immediately ran towards me, “Daddy, Daddy,” he cried excitedly, “look at my flower!” I proudly smiled and said very pointedly that he indeed had a beautiful flower. Then I took him by the hand and led him to where the rest of the flowers were being placed .... and I and my son together placed our offering on the altar of God. His mustard seed faith is growing....

What services are special in your memory?