Psalm Meditation 652
Third Sunday of Advent
December 16, 2012

Psalm 25
1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.
3 Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
4 Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.
6 Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness' sake, O LORD!
8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
10 All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
11 For your name's sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great.
12 Who are they that fear the LORD? He will teach them the way that they should choose.
13 They will abide in prosperity, and their children shall possess the land.
14 The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes his covenant known to them.
15 My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 Relieve the troubles of my heart, and bring me out of my distress.
18 Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.
19 Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me.
20 O guard my life, and deliver me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.
22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all its troubles.
(NRSV)

For whose benefit do we ask God to forget our sins and shower us with steadfast love? It is certainly not a reminder needed by God. It is a part of who God is to love us beyond our deserving and to forgive us when we wander or run away from the ways of God. It must be out of our own insecurities and our leaning toward projecting ourselves on to God. It is part of our human nature to expect others to think and act in ways similar to our own. So we ask God to forget our sins and to remember to shower us with love because our habit toward others is the opposite.

If 99 people give us compliments and one person gives us complaint and criticism, most of us will remember the one who had something critical to say. Since that is our own process, we will expect God to react the same way. God is not like us. God encourages and prods us to move toward being like God in many ways, including being quick to forgive and ready to love folks. God forgives and loves, not because we deserve it, rather because God chooses to forgive and love.

As we take refuge in God, put ourselves more often and more closely in the presence of God, we discover that we are becoming more and more like God. We find ourselves willing to forgive and love those who don’t ask for or deserve that kind of treatment from us. We will get mistreated and folks will take advantage of us and we will continue to choose love and forgiveness because that is who we are becoming and who God always is. And God relieves the troubles of our hearts and brings us out of our distress whether the reality of our situation changes or not.

December 10, 2012