Better Than Life Itself: Psalm 63:1-8 - Devotion for March 23 Lenten Wednesday

You are my God. I worship you.

    In my heart, I long for you,

    as I would long for a stream

    in a scorching desert.

I have seen your power

and your glory

    in the place of worship.

Your love means more

than life to me,

    and I praise you.

As long as I live,

    I will pray to you.

I will sing joyful praises

and be filled with excitement

    like a guest at a banquet.

I think about you

    before I go to sleep,

    and my thoughts turn to you

    during the night.

You have helped me,

    and I sing happy songs

    in the shadow of your wings.

I stay close to you,

    and your powerful arm

    supports me. (CEV)

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What do we call it when someone, due to age, illness, or limited mobility, cannot leave their home? For years, the church has used the term “shut-in.” But that term was awfully crude, so we substituted it with the term “homebound member,” but that’s hardly an improvement…

There are no words to describe the tremendous loss of freedom to go wherever you want and do whatever you want, on your terms. You lose your independence, and become dependent. 

You can no longer drive a car, and depend on others to get to church, doctor’s appointments, or the supermarket. Leaving home for anything becomes an exhausting, and sometimes even risky ordeal.

Many of our homebound members do not have family members living nearby, making them extremely lonely. They don’t know the difference between a Sunday and a Wednesday because every day is the same, and there’s little to do. 

When Covid-19 came along, the aged and infirm fell into even deeper isolation. 

Yet what amazes me about so many of the homebound I’ve met over the years is their gratitude for God’s blessings and their love for the Word of God.

Last year, we began mailing church bulletins to our homebound—and they read them cover-to-cover. I know of one who keeps the church prayer list at her kitchen table and prays for the people every day, even though she doesn’t know most of the persons on the list. Some homebound persons with computer access began participating in our livestream—and it’s become the highlight of their week. We have one member who calls her copy of the Word and Season devotional “my lifeline.”

When I bring communion, many receive it with tears of joy. 

On many occasions, I’ve sung hymns or played religious music at the bedsides of persons who are comatose or suffering such severe dementia that they cannot speak. It’s amazing to watch the peace that comes over them. Sometimes, they will even sing along. 

And while this is certainly a powerful testimony to the faith of these saints, it is an even greater testimony to the power of the Gospel. Jesus satisfies the hunger and thirst of their souls with his Word, his body, and his blood. 

One may argue that they cling to the Gospel because they don’t have any other options available to them. But God didn’t make human beings to live this way. The condition of being a shut-in or homebound can prove extremely toxic to one’s soul—and it’s devastating to see what living like this can do to a person… 

Some become so depressed that they don’t want to see or talk to anyone. Some become bitter and mean. I once knew someone who would not leave his room for meals or activities because he would not miss even a minute of cable news.

I don’t say this to be critical. This just shows us that spiritual hunger is real—and the greater freedom that we have to make choices in how we satisfy our human and spiritual needs, the greater the temptation will be to when we have more options available to us, we more you will be tempted to choose something other than God for the gratification of those needs. And the more we gratify our hearts’ desires with the goods of this world, the more spiritually unhealthy we shall become.

Just consider the foods you crave. Which taste better? Which are more satisfying? Which are the least expensive and the most convenient? Snack food. Junk food. Fast food. Processed food. Sugar, salt, fat, and carbs. Foods that clog our arteries but do not nourish our bodies. Unfortunately, we do even worse with the hunger of our souls. Do we eat and drink of the goodness of God, or feed our souls with instant gratification, quick fixes, achievements, and possessions—the spiritual equivalent of junk food? 

But if healthier eating habits would change our lives, just imagine how your life would be changed if you fed your soul with the food and drink that satisfy?

It’s no accident that my faith has been so inspired by those who’ve suffered the loss of nearly everything in their lives except a tongue to sing the Savior’s praise. These persons are living proof that spiritual hunger can be satisfied. Church bulletins, devotional booklets, and occasional communion visits don’t make their lives any less difficult—yet God, through the Word, through prayer, through the people, makes it possible for there to be peace, joy, and even purpose. 

As church, it is vital that we maintain caring connections with all the people we know who cannot leave their homes, whether they are members of our churches or not. They’ve taught me how much a difference I can make just by sharing a moment of my time, and they teach us that we can all do simple things that make a tremendous difference. 

In feeding and being fed, be it healthy food or spiritual food, in Christ our bodies and souls are satisfied. God’s steadfast love is better than life itself. Who could ask for anything more?