Psalm Meditation 903
Proper 22
October 8, 2017

Psalm 27
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh—my adversaries and foes—they shall stumble and fall.
3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident.
4 One thing I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.
5 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.
6 Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the LORD.
7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!
8 “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!” Your face, LORD, do I seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!
10 If my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will take me up.
11 Teach me your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
12 Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and they are breathing out violence.
13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!
(NRSV)

Children have an interesting way of getting and staying close to the people they find interesting. They fasten themselves to that person and study and copy their actions and mannerisms. They want to spend as much time as possible with the person who intrigues them. They want to act as much like the person as they possibly can. (It turns to stalking when the power dynamic shifts to the one doing the copying.) The psalmist wants to get close enough to see and follow the ways God acts.

When we copy another’s mannerisms for long enough they become our mannerisms. When we copy the way another behaves often enough it becomes the way we behave. When we copy the words and phrases of another they become our words and phrases. In some cases the change is slow and subtle and in others it is a quicker transformation. Whether intentional or accidental, slow or fast, we do become what we imitate. The psalmist chooses to imitate God and to walk on the level path.

We have so many choices for how to behave and what to say and do. More than one of those ways is called the way of God. While I believe there are multiple routes to God due to our various starting points, I am convinced that not everyone who claims to know the way to God can lead us to the God of the Bible. God continues to seek after us, as a mother and father seek us out to take us into their arms of love.

October 2, 2017
LCM