Psalm 142
I cry aloud to the Lord;

    I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy.

2 I pour out before him my complaint;

    before him I tell my trouble.

3 When my spirit grows faint within me,

    it is you who watch over my way.

In the path where I walk

    people have hidden a snare for me.

4 Look and see, there is no one at my right hand;

    no one is concerned for me.

I have no refuge;

    no one cares for my life.

5 I cry to you, Lord;

    I say, “You are my refuge,

    my portion in the land of the living.”

6 Listen to my cry,

    for I am in desperate need;

rescue me from those who pursue me,

    for they are too strong for me.

7 Set me free from my prison,

    that I may praise your name.

Then the righteous will gather about me

    because of your goodness to me

He was tentatively walking first to the right then stopping to consider if he was in the right place. He was in the middle of the Kroger side parking lot and his white cane tapping the pavement told the whole story. My husband was in the car waiting for our grocery pick-up to be delivered to his trunk along with a few other cars. When he realized what was happening, he put on his mask and hopped out of the car. “Can I help you, friend? You look like you could use a hand.” The blind man replied, “I am trying to get into the Kroger.”  Doug said, “You’re just on the side. I’ll lead you in. Since I can’t take your elbow, how about I lead you by your cane and we’ll stay apart?” “I can’t let you do that”, he replied. “Can you just keep talking to me and I’ll follow the sound of your voice?”

I love the honesty of the psalmist in verse 3. Like many other psalms, he is troubled, despairing and remembering the faithfulness of God all in one breath.

3 When my spirit grows faint within me,

    it is you who watch over my way.

In the path where I walk

    people have hidden a snare for me.

I wonder what it was like for the blind man in the Kroger parking lot. He could not find his way, there was imminent danger with cars all around, and to top it all off a global pandemic required people to stay away. Was he a man of faith who imagined God watching over his way in the path where he walked? I cannot tell you that part of the story for the encounter was too brief. I can tell you that he got to the entrance because he had enough faith to listen to a man’s voice who he not only did not know, but who he could not see.

Do we? If we are being honest, it’s not always easy to have real trouble and an invisible God. Faith requires we trust anyway. God’s listening. We don’t often hear audible voices in answers to our cry for help. Faith says wait and hope. God’s voice will lead you. Thanks be to God.

Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, tune our ears to listen expectantly for your voice. Through your Holy Spirit, guide our steps along the path. Through your son, Jesus, give us the gift of compassion for all of your sons and daughters. We love you and praise your holy name!