Introspection: Remembering God's Help

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Remembering God's Help

I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.

Psalm 40:1 (NRSV)

God, You know where I've been
You were there with me then
You were faithful before
You'll be faithful again
I'm holding Your hand

From "Let the Waters Rise" by MIKESCHAIR

For nearly nine years, my daily Bible study has been guided by the Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings.  Included in this three-year cycle of daily Scripture readings are the passages heard in many churches on Sunday mornings and also related readings for the rest of the week.  Listed for most days are a Psalm or poem from the Hebrew Bible, another passage from the Hebrew Bible, and one or two passages from the New Testament.¹  Typically, I select one of the listed passages for the day, read it, reflect on it, and record my reflections in my devotional journal.

For a number of years I haven't selected the Psalms for my daily Bible study, thinking that the Psalms are better prayed than studied.  A little over a week ago, I ended up reflecting on the Psalm for the day, because the other two listed passages were a little too familiar to me.  I was glad I decided to read that Psalm, because I felt like I had personally lived it.

In the poem we know as the Fortieth Psalm, David recalls a time in his life when he cried out to God amid a desperate situation and when God heard his cry and helped him.  David begins,

I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.²

When I read these words, I too remembered a time in my life when I asked God daily to help me out of a bad situation and had to wait patiently for God to act.

David continues,

He drew me up from the desolate pit,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.³

The "desolate pit" or "miry bog" in which I found myself was my first job as a professional computer programmer.  During the summer after I graduated from college, someone reached out to me on behalf of a company in my town and told me about a job opportunity.  After an interview, I was offered a job as a software engineer, and I accepted the offer.  This company produced video slot machines and other such games of chance.

I did not aspire to work in the gambling industry, but, having no prior professional work experience and having heard a lot during my senior year about the outsourcing of tech jobs, I figured that I needed to take whatever I could get.  I figured that, if I didn't like the job, I could get the two years of experience required by most employers and then move on to something better.  What I ended up hating about the job was not the work itself but rather the growing sense of shame I experienced for working in an industry that generates revenue by exploiting people's weaknesses.

Less than one year after I accepted my job, my first major crunch period made me realize that the company wanted more from me than I was willing to give, and I wanted out.  On the one hand, I was afraid that simply quitting my job would make finding another job difficult, since apparent "job hopping" looks bad.  On the other hand, I was hesitant to start looking for another programming job, as I was not sure that I still wanted to be a computer programmer.  Feeling utterly stuck, I started to pray every morning before work that God would somehow call me out of my job.

Like David, "I waited patiently for the Lord," and, months after I started praying for a way out of my job, God seemingly "inclined to me and heard my cry," providing me a reason to leave my job.  The company for which I worked acquired another company in a neighboring state and consolidated offices.  Because I was unwilling to relocate, I was terminated.

God "drew me up from the desolate pit" by getting me out of the job I hated, and God "set my feet upon a rock" by leading me to my current job.  When I started looking for work, one institution in my town stuck in my mind, namely the local technical college.  I checked the college's website for job openings and saw a programming position for which I was qualified.  After two interviews, I was hired as an application analyst.

David continues,

He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.⁴

David goes on to pray,

I have told the glad news of deliverance
in the great congregation;
see, I have not restrained my lips,
as you know, O Lord.⁵

In the same way that David wanted to sing when he was delivered from his desperate situation, I was full of joy when I started my current job.  I was grateful to finally have a job in which I could take pride, and I was grateful for the opportunity to use my programming skills for the common good.  Not long before my previous job ended, I started blogging, so I shared my "glad news of deliverance" on this blog.

The reason that David is remembering God's saving him in the past is that he is in yet another difficult situation and is in need of God's help once again.  He prays,

Do not, O Lord, withhold
your mercy from me;
let your steadfast love and your faithfulness
keep me safe forever.
For evils have encompassed me
without number;
my iniquities have overtaken me,
until I cannot see;
they are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails me.⁶

I have been working at my current job for more than thirteen years, and, truth be told, I don't always feel as grateful for my job as I felt when I first accepted it.  A lot of things have changed in recent years, and my job has become more stressful, as the retirements of my supervisor and one of my coworkers have required me to take on additional responsibilities.  All that said, despite the changes, difficulties, and uncertainties of the present, the things I once loved about my job are still true.  I can still take pride in my work, and I am still able to use my skills for the common good.

Amid uncertain circumstances, we need to remember how God has helped us in the past.  David can be confident that God will help him out of his current predicament, because he knows that God helped him in the past.  Likewise, I can be confident that the God who helped me and guided me in the past will continue to help me and guide me in the present and in the future.


Notes:

1. The Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings can be found here: http://www.commontexts.org/publications/
2. Psalm 40:1 (NRSV)
3. Psalm 40:2 (NRSV)
4. Psalm 40:3a (NRSV)
5. Psalm 40:9 (NRSV)
6. Psalm 40:11-12 (NRSV)

The photograph of the pit has been released to the public domain.  The photographer is in no way affiliated with this blog.