Psalm Meditation 774
Third Sunday of Easter
April 19, 2015

Psalm 35
1 Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me!
2 Take hold of shield and buckler, and rise up to help me!
3 Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers; say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”
4 Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life. Let them be turned back and confounded who devise evil against me.
5 Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them on.
6 Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.
7 For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life.
8 Let ruin come on them unawares. And let the net that they hid ensnare them; let them fall in it—to their ruin.
9 Then my soul shall rejoice in the LORD, exulting in his deliverance.
10 All my bones shall say, “O LORD, who is like you? You deliver the weak from those too strong for them, the weak and needy from those who despoil them.”
11 Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me about things I do not know.
12 They repay me evil for good; my soul is forlorn.
13 But as for me, when they were sick, I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting. I prayed with head bowed on my bosom,
14 as though I grieved for a friend or a brother; I went about as one who laments for a mother, bowed down and in mourning.
15 But at my stumbling they gathered in glee, they gathered together against me; ruffians whom I did not know tore at me without ceasing;
16 they impiously mocked more and more, gnashing at me with their teeth.
17 How long, O LORD, will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages, my life from the lions!
18 Then I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you.
19 Do not let my treacherous enemies rejoice over me, or those who hate me without cause wink the eye.
20 For they do not speak peace, but they conceive deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.
21 They open wide their mouths against me; they say, “Aha, Aha, our eyes have seen it.”
22 You have seen, O LORD; do not be silent! O Lord, do not be far from me!
23 Wake up! Bestir yourself for my defense, for my cause, my God and my Lord!
24 Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to your righteousness, and do not let them rejoice over me.
25 Do not let them say to themselves, “Aha, we have our heart’s desire.” Do not let them say, “We have swallowed you up.”
26 Let all those who rejoice at my calamity be put to shame and confusion;
let those who exalt themselves against me be clothed with shame and dishonor.
27 Let those who desire my vindication shout for joy and be glad, and say evermore, “Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of his servant.”
28 Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all day long.
(NRSV)

There comes a time that we are so weary of doing battle against those who rise against us that we must turn to God to carry on the fight for us. We may face human adversaries who have reason to contend with us. Their reasons may not make any sense to us, which seems to be the case for the psalmist. The lack of understanding between us and them is often a key ingredient in a battle. We join a battle when we believe that our side is worth defending. We turn to God when we know that we need help from one who is mightier and has more stamina than we have left for the fight. We know that God will stand with us in steadfast love.

Besides the external battles we may face internal struggles. There are battles within as we face physical, psychological or spiritual adversities. We know what we want for ourselves even as we feel the tremendous pressure on body, mind and spirit to go the easy route. We find ourselves tempted to give in or give up in the face of any and all of the forces that pull us away from what we know is the right path. We turn to God for help and comfort in the battle for our lives against a variety of forces.

While God may rise up against our enemies from within or without, what we can count on is that God will be with us in every situation. To experience the presence of God renews our energy, reshapes our perspective and gives a peace we cannot get anywhere else. In God we find rest. The battles continue to rage around us and within us, somehow it seems a little less daunting, a little more hopeful when we are in the presence of God.

April 14, 2015
LCM