Psalm Meditation 733
Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time
July 6, 2014
Psalm 109
1 Do not be silent, O God of my praise.
2 For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues.
3 They beset me with words of hate, and attack me without cause.
4 In return for my love they accuse me, even while I make prayer for them.
5 So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
6 They say, “Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser stand on his right.
7 When he is tried, let him be found guilty; let his prayer be counted as sin.
8 May his days be few; may another seize his position.
9 May his children be orphans, and his wife a widow.
10 May his children wander about and beg; may they be driven out of the ruins they inhabit.
11 May the creditor seize all that he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil.
12 May there be no one to do him a kindness, nor anyone to pity his orphaned children.
13 May his posterity be cut off; may his name be blotted out in the second generation.
14 May the iniquity of his father be remembered before the LORD, and do not let the sin of his mother be blotted out.
15 Let them be before the LORD continually, and may his memory be cut off from the earth.
16 For he did not remember to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and the brokenhearted to their death.
17 He loved to curse; let curses come on him. He did not like blessing; may it be far from him.
18 He clothed himself with cursing as his coat, may it soak into his body like water, like oil into his bones.
19 May it be like a garment that he wraps around himself, like a belt that he wears every day.”
20 May that be the reward of my accusers from the LORD, of those who speak evil against my life.
21 But you, O LORD my Lord, act on my behalf for your name’s sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me.
22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is pierced within me.
23 I am gone like a shadow at evening; I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees are weak through fasting; my body has become gaunt.
25 I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads.
26 Help me, O LORD my God! Save me according to your steadfast love.
27 Let them know that this is your hand; you, O LORD, have done it.
28 Let them curse, but you will bless. Let my assailants be put to shame; may your servant be glad.
29 May my accusers be clothed with dishonor; may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a mantle.
30 With my mouth I will give great thanks to the LORD; I will praise him in the midst of the throng.
31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy, to save them from those who would condemn them to death.
(NRSV)
The best way to level charges against someone as the psalmist claims has been done in this case is to convince ourselves that this other is nothing like us. Whether it is former friends who have decided that this person is no longer one of ‘us’ or a group of strangers who have determined that the psalmist is not a person, the effect is the same. Once we demonize and dehumanize a person or group we can make all sorts of assumptions about how they behave and why they do the things they do. And it is usually for the worst of reasons. When folks take drastic and violent steps to be noticed, our assumptions are that there is something wrong with them and it is a shame they turned out that way. We do not pause to wonder what we may have done or left undone that would give them reason to snap.
Of course, our motives are always pure and motivated by the best of intentions. Our goal is to provide the best possible environment for ourselves and those we love, and we do that by putting up shields and barriers against all of ‘those people.’ Their task, as we see it, is to destroy all the wonderful things we have worked so hard to provide for ourselves and our loved ones. It couldn’t possibly be that we have shut them out of the very things they also want for themselves and their loved ones and any move toward achieving those things is seen as a threat.
It is easy to demonize and dehumanize, even folks in our own circle who no longer fit our mold. The difficult choice is to see those others as humans beings with their own set of wants and needs that may either mesh or conflict with ours. With a scarcity mindset, we believe that we can’t all have what we want and need so we have to protect ourselves from ‘them.’ God has given us a world of abundance and asks us to live as if all those others are our brothers and sisters who have wants and needs similar to our own. The hard task before us is to find a way together that meets all of our needs and provides a lot of the wants of this human family of which we are a part.
June 30, 2014
Monday, June 30, 2014
Monday, June 23, 2014
Psalm Meditation 732
Third Sunday of Ordinary Time
June 29, 2014
Psalm 42
1 As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?
3 My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me continually, “Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I went with the throng,
and led them in procession to the house of God, with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help
6 and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep at the thunder of your cataracts; all your waves and your billows have gone over me.
8 By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God, my rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I walk about mournfully because the enemy oppresses me?”
10 As with a deadly wound in my body, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me continually, “Where is your God?”
11 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.
(NRSV)
“Where is your God?” is an easy question to ask and a hard one to answer, especially in a time of trial. Those who ask the question as a taunting challenge are waiting for God to come down and fix the situation in which they find us. Because God is not active in the way they would anticipate, they assume that God is not present. God is supposed to come down in a fiery chariot, and with the wave of a hand save us from any and all calamities. Especially, in the time of the psalmist, the power of the nation was in direct correlation to the power of the God or gods of that nation. As a nation defeated Israel they would certainly ask the question of this psalm with companion question, “Why could your God not save you from us?”
It is a hard to answer because a part of us is asking the question as well. We too want to see God coming to our rescue at the head of an angel army all with weapons drawn swarming down on our foe. Whether the enemy is a person, group, nation or situation we want the whole host of heaven to come down and put things right, that is, the way we want them to be. When things don’t turn out that way, we find ourselves asking where God is in our lives. If God is present, certainly things would happen my way. It may be a fleeting feeling or one that lasts awhile, however we do wonder where God is in all of this.
Gratefully, our view of God has changed because of our experience throughout salvation history. From a view that God will rescue us from every calamity we have moved to a view that God is with us in all times and places. Yes, we still wish that God would swoop down and rescue us, even as we know that the presence of God through the good and bad is more of a gift than deliverance from bad stuff could ever be. Folks still challenge our faith by asking, “Where is your God?” and we still find ourselves wondering the same thing. Eventually we join the psalmist in the refrain of this psalm, “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.”
June 23, 2014
LCM
Third Sunday of Ordinary Time
June 29, 2014
Psalm 42
1 As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?
3 My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me continually, “Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I went with the throng,
and led them in procession to the house of God, with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help
6 and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep at the thunder of your cataracts; all your waves and your billows have gone over me.
8 By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God, my rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I walk about mournfully because the enemy oppresses me?”
10 As with a deadly wound in my body, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me continually, “Where is your God?”
11 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.
(NRSV)
“Where is your God?” is an easy question to ask and a hard one to answer, especially in a time of trial. Those who ask the question as a taunting challenge are waiting for God to come down and fix the situation in which they find us. Because God is not active in the way they would anticipate, they assume that God is not present. God is supposed to come down in a fiery chariot, and with the wave of a hand save us from any and all calamities. Especially, in the time of the psalmist, the power of the nation was in direct correlation to the power of the God or gods of that nation. As a nation defeated Israel they would certainly ask the question of this psalm with companion question, “Why could your God not save you from us?”
It is a hard to answer because a part of us is asking the question as well. We too want to see God coming to our rescue at the head of an angel army all with weapons drawn swarming down on our foe. Whether the enemy is a person, group, nation or situation we want the whole host of heaven to come down and put things right, that is, the way we want them to be. When things don’t turn out that way, we find ourselves asking where God is in our lives. If God is present, certainly things would happen my way. It may be a fleeting feeling or one that lasts awhile, however we do wonder where God is in all of this.
Gratefully, our view of God has changed because of our experience throughout salvation history. From a view that God will rescue us from every calamity we have moved to a view that God is with us in all times and places. Yes, we still wish that God would swoop down and rescue us, even as we know that the presence of God through the good and bad is more of a gift than deliverance from bad stuff could ever be. Folks still challenge our faith by asking, “Where is your God?” and we still find ourselves wondering the same thing. Eventually we join the psalmist in the refrain of this psalm, “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.”
June 23, 2014
LCM
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Psalm Meditation 731
Second Sunday of Ordinary Time
June 22, 2014
Psalm 92
1 It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night,
3 to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre.
4 For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
5 How great are your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep!
6 The dullard cannot know, the stupid cannot understand this:
7 though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever,
8 but you, O LORD, are on high forever.
9 For your enemies, O LORD, for your enemies shall perish; all evildoers shall be scattered.
10 But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; you have poured over me fresh oil.
11 My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies; my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.
12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God.
14 In old age they still produce fruit; they are always green and full of sap,
15 showing that the LORD is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
(NRSV)
It is good to give thanks to God and to give thanks to the folks who surround us. It seems the more we give thanks the more we see things for which to be thankful. That is, we find what we expect to find in so many parts of our lives. As we expect people to do things deserving thanks, and offer our thanks to them, we begin to see more people do things for which we can give thanks. As we look around with thanks on our hearts and minds, we find all sorts of things for which we give thanks. We can give thanks to God for the new day, for the promise of abiding presence in each and every day. We can give thanks to the folks around us for the big and little things they do for us and for others.
There are folks who expect to see evil and treachery all around them, and there it is. There are folks who expect to see nothing noteworthy in anyone or anything as they go through another boring day and they are not disappointed in their search for disappointment. There are folks who look for faults and flaws in all the people and things around them and they find fault everywhere. There are folks who expect a nice mix of good and bad through the course of a day and they find that as well. These folks do not live in separate places from each other, these folks live with differing expectations. What we expect to see is what we end up seeing. It is the filters through which we view the world that allow us to experience the world as we plan to see it.
The psalmist expects to see reasons for which to give thanks to God. The great works of God and the destruction of enemies are the particular foci here. Whether those works and that destruction are past, present, future or all three together in an ongoing process the psalmist gives thanks to God for the experience of life surrounded by these good things, and probably more. Since it is possible to grow more bitter and cynical as we go through life, it is also possible to grow more thankful too. Thankfulness takes effort. From the lives of those who live in thankfulness, it appears to be worth the effort. In this case it may be easiest to start big and work our way down to the specifics. It is good to give thanks to God.
June 17, 2014
Second Sunday of Ordinary Time
June 22, 2014
Psalm 92
1 It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night,
3 to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre.
4 For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
5 How great are your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep!
6 The dullard cannot know, the stupid cannot understand this:
7 though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever,
8 but you, O LORD, are on high forever.
9 For your enemies, O LORD, for your enemies shall perish; all evildoers shall be scattered.
10 But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; you have poured over me fresh oil.
11 My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies; my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.
12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God.
14 In old age they still produce fruit; they are always green and full of sap,
15 showing that the LORD is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
(NRSV)
It is good to give thanks to God and to give thanks to the folks who surround us. It seems the more we give thanks the more we see things for which to be thankful. That is, we find what we expect to find in so many parts of our lives. As we expect people to do things deserving thanks, and offer our thanks to them, we begin to see more people do things for which we can give thanks. As we look around with thanks on our hearts and minds, we find all sorts of things for which we give thanks. We can give thanks to God for the new day, for the promise of abiding presence in each and every day. We can give thanks to the folks around us for the big and little things they do for us and for others.
There are folks who expect to see evil and treachery all around them, and there it is. There are folks who expect to see nothing noteworthy in anyone or anything as they go through another boring day and they are not disappointed in their search for disappointment. There are folks who look for faults and flaws in all the people and things around them and they find fault everywhere. There are folks who expect a nice mix of good and bad through the course of a day and they find that as well. These folks do not live in separate places from each other, these folks live with differing expectations. What we expect to see is what we end up seeing. It is the filters through which we view the world that allow us to experience the world as we plan to see it.
The psalmist expects to see reasons for which to give thanks to God. The great works of God and the destruction of enemies are the particular foci here. Whether those works and that destruction are past, present, future or all three together in an ongoing process the psalmist gives thanks to God for the experience of life surrounded by these good things, and probably more. Since it is possible to grow more bitter and cynical as we go through life, it is also possible to grow more thankful too. Thankfulness takes effort. From the lives of those who live in thankfulness, it appears to be worth the effort. In this case it may be easiest to start big and work our way down to the specifics. It is good to give thanks to God.
June 17, 2014
Monday, June 9, 2014
Psalm Meditation 730
Trinity Sunday
June 15, 2014
Psalm 9
1 I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
3 When my enemies turned back, they stumbled and perished before you.
4 For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment.
5 You have rebuked the nations, you have destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6 The enemies have vanished in everlasting ruins; their cities you have rooted out; the very memory of them has perished.
7 But the LORD sits enthroned forever, he has established his throne for judgment.
8 He judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with equity.
9 The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.
11 Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion. Declare his deeds among the peoples.
12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
13 Be gracious to me, O LORD. See what I suffer from those who hate me; you are the one who lifts me up from the gates of death,
14 so that I may recount all your praises, and, in the gates of daughter Zion, rejoice in your deliverance.
15 The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid has their own foot been caught.
16 The LORD has made himself known, he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah
17 The wicked shall depart to Sheol, all the nations that forget God.
18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever.
19 Rise up, O LORD! Do not let mortals prevail; let the nations be judged before you.
20 Put them in fear, O LORD; let the nations know that they are only human. Selah
(NRSV)
Politicians speak in a way that will appeal to the crowd they are addressing. It can seem like waffling as they pick the parts of their action plan that will get the most support from the folks whose favor is being curried at any given moment. There are those, in several fields, who say what they imagine or believe the people want to hear in a given circumstance. Politicians have the reputation of keeping quiet about certain information in order to win support from enough folks to get elected so that they can carry out the unspoken parts of their agenda. They are not alone. There are doctors who believe it is unnecessary to let patients know that the odds of recovery are very slim. Instead they accentuate the rare cases in which folks have returned to health. Restaurants have been known to leave out ingredients in their listings in order to appeal to a wider clientele who would not choose an item because of the ingredients. Just a few examples of the sleight of hand in our lives.
One of the areas that seems to get left out of many agendas is the life of those in poverty. Since most of us would rather not think about how close this comes to us, by touching those we love, or by admitting how close we are to the edge ourselves, it is best left unspoken. The psalmist reminds us that one of the groups God will touch as the wicked are destroyed, are those who live in need and poverty. One of the ways that will happen is by force. Someone will come along and demand that those of us with an overabundance will have most of that confiscated for redistribution to those who have little. Since God does not work by force, what are the other options? Perhaps we will recognize that we who live in overabundance can do without a little and share it with those in poverty. Perhaps we will come to an understanding that there is enough for all and we can stop hoarding out of fear, so that others have access to the resources previously hoarded. Perhaps we will work together to teach and learn that the choices we make can alter each of our lives in the community in which we find ourselves. Perhaps we will discover that the success of another does not lead to failure on the part of those who live in abundance.
As we discover that we share a definition of what it means to be wicked, we will decide that it does not lead anywhere but destruction. As we make new choices, we will find that it is better to cooperate than to compete. We will find that the way of God that seems both ideal and unapproachable will be readily achievable together. As we come to fear God, in the sense of reverent awe, we will discover that we need not be afraid of those around us, we will find that we can work together to accomplish more together than we were willing or able separately.
June 9, 2014
Trinity Sunday
June 15, 2014
Psalm 9
1 I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
3 When my enemies turned back, they stumbled and perished before you.
4 For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment.
5 You have rebuked the nations, you have destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6 The enemies have vanished in everlasting ruins; their cities you have rooted out; the very memory of them has perished.
7 But the LORD sits enthroned forever, he has established his throne for judgment.
8 He judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with equity.
9 The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.
11 Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion. Declare his deeds among the peoples.
12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
13 Be gracious to me, O LORD. See what I suffer from those who hate me; you are the one who lifts me up from the gates of death,
14 so that I may recount all your praises, and, in the gates of daughter Zion, rejoice in your deliverance.
15 The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid has their own foot been caught.
16 The LORD has made himself known, he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah
17 The wicked shall depart to Sheol, all the nations that forget God.
18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever.
19 Rise up, O LORD! Do not let mortals prevail; let the nations be judged before you.
20 Put them in fear, O LORD; let the nations know that they are only human. Selah
(NRSV)
Politicians speak in a way that will appeal to the crowd they are addressing. It can seem like waffling as they pick the parts of their action plan that will get the most support from the folks whose favor is being curried at any given moment. There are those, in several fields, who say what they imagine or believe the people want to hear in a given circumstance. Politicians have the reputation of keeping quiet about certain information in order to win support from enough folks to get elected so that they can carry out the unspoken parts of their agenda. They are not alone. There are doctors who believe it is unnecessary to let patients know that the odds of recovery are very slim. Instead they accentuate the rare cases in which folks have returned to health. Restaurants have been known to leave out ingredients in their listings in order to appeal to a wider clientele who would not choose an item because of the ingredients. Just a few examples of the sleight of hand in our lives.
One of the areas that seems to get left out of many agendas is the life of those in poverty. Since most of us would rather not think about how close this comes to us, by touching those we love, or by admitting how close we are to the edge ourselves, it is best left unspoken. The psalmist reminds us that one of the groups God will touch as the wicked are destroyed, are those who live in need and poverty. One of the ways that will happen is by force. Someone will come along and demand that those of us with an overabundance will have most of that confiscated for redistribution to those who have little. Since God does not work by force, what are the other options? Perhaps we will recognize that we who live in overabundance can do without a little and share it with those in poverty. Perhaps we will come to an understanding that there is enough for all and we can stop hoarding out of fear, so that others have access to the resources previously hoarded. Perhaps we will work together to teach and learn that the choices we make can alter each of our lives in the community in which we find ourselves. Perhaps we will discover that the success of another does not lead to failure on the part of those who live in abundance.
As we discover that we share a definition of what it means to be wicked, we will decide that it does not lead anywhere but destruction. As we make new choices, we will find that it is better to cooperate than to compete. We will find that the way of God that seems both ideal and unapproachable will be readily achievable together. As we come to fear God, in the sense of reverent awe, we will discover that we need not be afraid of those around us, we will find that we can work together to accomplish more together than we were willing or able separately.
June 9, 2014
Monday, June 2, 2014
Psalm Meditation 729
Pentecost
June 8, 2014
Psalm 143
1 Hear my prayer, O LORD; give ear to my supplications in your faithfulness; answer me in your righteousness.
2 Do not enter into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.
3 For the enemy has pursued me, crushing my life to the ground, making me sit in darkness like those long dead.
4 Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled.
5 I remember the days of old, I think about all your deeds, I meditate on the works of your hands.
6 I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah
7 Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me, or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.
8 Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning, for in you I put my trust.
Teach me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.
9 Save me, O LORD, from my enemies; I have fled to you for refuge.
10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Let your good spirit lead me on a level path.
11 For your name’s sake, O LORD, preserve my life. In your righteousness bring me out of trouble.
12 In your steadfast love cut off my enemies, and destroy all my adversaries, for I am your servant.
(NRSV)
In the midst of energy draining, soul crushing situations it is hard to gather the strength for something as simple as asking for help. The psalmist is aware that things are getting dire enough to siphon off the very last ounce of energy and turns to God for help. Was there no one else available to ask earlier, did this come on suddenly leaving no time to ask another, or was this a situation so desperate that only God could intervene successfully? The psalmist lived in a culture much more community oriented than our American culture of the rugged individual. Asking the community to help held no shame and would have been expected.
There can be a lot of baggage in asking another for help. Since we are not as altruistic as we might like, there are favors to be done in return for the help others give. It may have been more or less pronounced in the time of the psalmist, however there would have been some price to pay for the help of another person. As we fear we may not even have the energy to pull ourselves out, let alone repay the kindness of others, it is good to be able to turn to God. The goodness of God has already outshone anything we might be able to do in return that we can ask for help with the awareness of God’s steadfast love for us in spite of our inability to even come close to being able to repay God’s favor in our lives.
Yes, it would be wonderful to be able to ask for and receive help from others without a sense of obligation to them. It would be nice if we could give help without leaving the other person feeling obligated. In some relationships there is that steadfast love that doesn’t keep score, however those are rare and precious and exist because we don’t take advantage of them or take them for granted. The steadfast love of God, chesed in Hebrew, agape’ in Greek, is available to us in any and every situation of our lives. God simply loves us. God is grateful when we return that love to the best of our ability, and mostly God loves us beyond our ability to understand.
June 1, 2014
Pentecost
June 8, 2014
Psalm 143
1 Hear my prayer, O LORD; give ear to my supplications in your faithfulness; answer me in your righteousness.
2 Do not enter into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.
3 For the enemy has pursued me, crushing my life to the ground, making me sit in darkness like those long dead.
4 Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled.
5 I remember the days of old, I think about all your deeds, I meditate on the works of your hands.
6 I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah
7 Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me, or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.
8 Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning, for in you I put my trust.
Teach me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.
9 Save me, O LORD, from my enemies; I have fled to you for refuge.
10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Let your good spirit lead me on a level path.
11 For your name’s sake, O LORD, preserve my life. In your righteousness bring me out of trouble.
12 In your steadfast love cut off my enemies, and destroy all my adversaries, for I am your servant.
(NRSV)
In the midst of energy draining, soul crushing situations it is hard to gather the strength for something as simple as asking for help. The psalmist is aware that things are getting dire enough to siphon off the very last ounce of energy and turns to God for help. Was there no one else available to ask earlier, did this come on suddenly leaving no time to ask another, or was this a situation so desperate that only God could intervene successfully? The psalmist lived in a culture much more community oriented than our American culture of the rugged individual. Asking the community to help held no shame and would have been expected.
There can be a lot of baggage in asking another for help. Since we are not as altruistic as we might like, there are favors to be done in return for the help others give. It may have been more or less pronounced in the time of the psalmist, however there would have been some price to pay for the help of another person. As we fear we may not even have the energy to pull ourselves out, let alone repay the kindness of others, it is good to be able to turn to God. The goodness of God has already outshone anything we might be able to do in return that we can ask for help with the awareness of God’s steadfast love for us in spite of our inability to even come close to being able to repay God’s favor in our lives.
Yes, it would be wonderful to be able to ask for and receive help from others without a sense of obligation to them. It would be nice if we could give help without leaving the other person feeling obligated. In some relationships there is that steadfast love that doesn’t keep score, however those are rare and precious and exist because we don’t take advantage of them or take them for granted. The steadfast love of God, chesed in Hebrew, agape’ in Greek, is available to us in any and every situation of our lives. God simply loves us. God is grateful when we return that love to the best of our ability, and mostly God loves us beyond our ability to understand.
June 1, 2014
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