Who cares for the suffering ones?

So I've decided that I am going to take Sunday's "off" so to speak. Technically they are not part of Lent. I've decided that it is good to take a Sabbath and spend some time focusing on my relationship with God. So that's the plan. I may or may not blog on Sundays, depending on where the Spirit leads me.

Church yesterday really built upon what I was thinking about the Haiti kits. The youth at our church had spent the weekend doing a 30-hour famine to learn more about hunger around the world. This morning, they led a beautiful worship service. I was impressed that 39 youth spent their weekend doing this.

During the sermon portion, they shared stories of a few children being served by World Vision. They also shared that every 3 seconds a child dies of hunger related causes (illness, etc.) and every 7 seconds a child dies from hunger. Then they sang a song and put up a mosaic of pictures of children and every 3 seconds a picture disappeared from the mosaic until the screen was black. I was completely overwhelmed and started sobbing.

There's this reality outside of my "safe borders" in which people are suffering and dieing, constantly. Staring at that truth makes me feel so helpless; it's paralyzing. I've hit this wall before: overwhelmed by the injustice in the world and no clear way fix it.

But as I was falling asleep last night, quiet, depressed and distant, I was thinking over Psalm 91.

¹ He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

² I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."

³ Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.

⁴ He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

⁵ You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,

⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.

⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.

⁸ You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

⁹ If you make the Most High your dwelling—
even the LORD, who is my refuge-

¹⁰ then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.

¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;

¹² they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

¹³ You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

¹⁴ "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

¹⁵ He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.

¹⁶ With long life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation."

These words are the foundation of one of my favorite hymns: "Eagle's Wings". It has been the lectionary readings for the past several days, during which time I have been reading over once or twice a day. As I have been reading and meditating on it, I have found it very comforting. With the changes in my health and my attempts to find a job, these words have helped me find peace knowing that God is with me, or "on my siiide" as Rob Bell would say. But last night, the Spirit again brought me out of my selfish, self-centered existence. These words were transformed from providing comfort for me into a prayer for all those truly in need.

Through this prayer, the Spirit also calmed my paralyzing depression at our world's, our humanity's state of affairs. I am not God. I cannot save everyone, everywhere. Honestly, I can't *save* anyone. All I can do try and give the love and grace that God has given me to those I meet. I can provide service, support where God calls me to. I can share the Gospel and invite others to provide service as well. And, I can keep praying Psalm 91 for all those suffering around the world.