Psalm Meditation 636
Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 26, 2012

Psalm 141
1 I call upon you, O LORD; come quickly to me; give ear to my voice when I call to you.
2 Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.
3 Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.
4 Do not turn my heart to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with those who work iniquity; do not let me eat of their delicacies.
5 Let the righteous strike me; let the faithful correct me. Never let the oil of the wicked anoint my head, for my prayer is continually against their wicked deeds.
6 When they are given over to those who shall condemn them, then they shall learn that my words were pleasant.
7 Like a rock that one breaks apart and shatters on the land, so shall their bones be strewn at the mouth of Sheol.
8 But my eyes are turned toward you, O GOD, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; do not leave me defenseless.
9 Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me, and from the snares of evildoers.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I alone escape.
(NRSV)

We find what we expect to find. When we expect to find good in people it jumps out at us in a variety of ways. When we expect to discover that we are surrounded are by bad people we will experience all sorts of evil from those around us. It might even be that two different people will experience the same person in different ways. The one looking for evil will find all the faults and flaws in a person. The one looking for good will find the redeeming qualities in that same person. The psalmist asks God for help in finding people with whom to spend time.

The psalmist does not want to learn evil attitudes, or wicked deeds from the kind of people who have those attitudes and do those deeds. It can be an interesting crowd. I don’t believe that any sane person sees their own deeds as evil. They/we find ways to justify thoughts and actions until they become normal actions and reactions. By banding together with like minded folk there is a layer of insulation between this type of normal and the way society defines normal.

The psalmist asks God for help in choosing folks whose lives are tuned to the ways of God. There is a longing to be taught how to live in the presence of God even though it is a difficult process. As in any discipline, the hard work pays off when one is called upon to live out one’s training in high stress circumstances. To keep our focus on God points us in a direction that leads to a life of fulfillment beyond that of self-centered pursuits. The presence of God in our lives gives us a place of refuge. Choosing to keep company with those who keep company with God gives us defenses against the temptations with which we are surrounded on a regular basis.

August 20, 2012