Lord help us

A Reflection for Tuesday, December 9 by Mary Rodriguez

Lectionary reading for 12/09/2025:Psalm 21; Isaiah 41:14-20; Romans 15:14-21; 

Selected passage for reflection: Isaiah 41:14-20

Read

Isaiah 41:14-20 New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised

14 Do not fear, you worm Jacob,

    you insect Israel!

I will help you, says the Lord;

    your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

15 Now, I will make of you a threshing-sledge,

    sharp, new, and having teeth;

you shall thresh the mountains and crush them,

    and you shall make the hills like chaff.

16 You shall winnow them and the wind shall carry them away,

    and the tempest shall scatter them.

Then you shall rejoice in the Lord;

    in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory.

17 When the poor and needy seek water,

    and there is none,

    and their tongue is parched with thirst,

I the Lord will answer them,

    I the God of Israel will not forsake them.

18 I will open rivers on the bare heights,[b]

    and fountains in the midst of the valleys;

I will make the wilderness a pool of water,

    and the dry land springs of water.

19 I will put in the wilderness the cedar,

    the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive;

I will set in the desert the cypress,

    the plane and the pine together,

20 so that all may see and know,

    all may consider and understand,

that the hand of the Lord has done this,

    the Holy One of Israel has created it. 

Reflect

Sometimes we feel as vulnerable as a worm, easily trampled underfoot by systems and people who abuse their power to steal, kill and destroy. Worms burrow and work dirt slowly and bits at a time. If God’s help and redemption means to transform those who are vulnerable like worms or insects into sharp threshing sledges that can turn the harvest and earth more efficiently and even move mountains, surely this message of redemption is really empowerment. 

God promises that when the poor and needy are in need, and if there are no abundant resources to provide, God will intervene and provide, and not forsake them. Surely this message of God’s power and provision shows us that God cares for the poor and the needy and would restore a balance of resources.

How are we to respond then, when we see the poor and needy, and know that there are resources enough, but either out of reach or specifically withheld from them? Like government officials delaying, decreasing or discontinuing needed funding for SNAP, food pantries, foreign aid, and social service agencies… Or the same for housing, healthcare, and education, as it is all connected to individuals, families, and communities either thriving or suffering… or being made to feel vulnerable and demoralized by fear tactics that look more and more like authoritarian rule and not like government for the people… or when we see neighbors kidnapped and communities terrorized?

How do we respond when we have more than we need, but we don’t think it will make a lasting difference if we give or share what we have? 

Is it just too dark for any small light to make a difference? 

What if it is still true that even if we feel vulnerable like a worm, but keep working the soil in front of us that God may empower and transform our efforts to look more like a powerful tool? What if what we do can effect change? What if what we say can affect change? What if what we can share or the way we respond will collectively affect change? 

Advent teaches us that God does still show up, albeit vulnerably, even in the darkest of seasons and always in the neediest of places. What is powerful is the way we will learn from Jesus to live more like people, connected, united, and not to be divided.  We can participate in the restoration of a balance of resources so that all may collectively thrive.

Respond 

What small act of resistance and restoration can you do today? Go for it. Do it. Though it may feel vulnerable or like it’s not enough, trust that God will empower and transform the work to bless others. Connect, unite, and march forward together. 

Rest

On Going to Work, By Jakob Boehme, 17th C

Give me, dear Lord, a pure heart and a wise mind, That I may carry out my work according to your will.

Save me from all false desires, From pride, greed, envy, and anger,

And let me accept joyfully every task you set before me.

Let me seek to serve the poor

The sad and those unable to work.

Help me to discern honestly my own gifts

That I may do the things of which I am capable, And happily and humbly leave the rest to others.

Above all, remind me constantly that I have Nothing except what you give me,

And can do nothing except what you enable me to do.   

About the Author 

Mary Rodriguez provides case management, working in health advocacy. She lives in Chicago with her wife. The majestic beauty of creation is like a salve, and they are so grateful to live in a Great City, by one of the world’s Great Lakes.