Psalm Meditation 959
All Saint’s Sunday
November 4, 2018
Psalm 107
1 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, those he redeemed from trouble
3 and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
4 Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to an inhabited town;
5 hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress;
7 he led them by a straight way, until they reached an inhabited town.
8 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
9 For he satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness and in gloom, prisoners in misery and in irons,
11 for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12 Their hearts were bowed down with hard labor; they fell down, with no one to help.
13 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress;
14 he brought them out of darkness and gloom, and broke their bonds asunder.
15 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
16 For he shatters the doors of bronze, and cuts in two the bars of iron.
17 Some were sick through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities endured affliction;
18 they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress;
20 he sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from destruction.
21 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
22 And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices, and tell of his deeds with songs of joy.
23 Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the mighty waters;
24 they saw the deeds of the LORD, his wondrous works in the deep.
25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26 They mounted up to heaven, they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their calamity;
27 they reeled and staggered like drunkards, and were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out from their distress;
29 he made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad because they had quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.
31 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
33 He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground,
34 a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.
35 He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water.
36 And there he lets the hungry live, and they establish a town to live in;
37 they sow fields, and plant vineyards, and get a fruitful yield.
38 By his blessing they multiply greatly, and he does not let their cattle decrease.
39 When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,
40 he pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
41 but he raises up the needy out of distress, and makes their families like flocks.
42 The upright see it and are glad; and all wickedness stops its mouth.
43 Let those who are wise give heed to these things, and consider the steadfast love of the LORD.
(NRSV)
‘Those’ people are often seen as a single group who all think and behave as one. We can ask anyone we see as other what ‘their’ people think and do in a given situation so that we have a handle on the entire group. It seems so easy. All of ‘’those’ people are alike as far as I’m concerned so it must be possible to discover who ‘they’ are by asking one person all the questions we might have about a given religion, race, political party, or age group that is not our own.
The psalmist goes through the variety of ways people found themselves separated from God. Some wandered, looking for a place to live. Some sat, living in a darkness not of their own making. Some were sickened by their own sin. Some worked on the sea, the home of chaos. In a variety of ways people found themselves in need of the steadfast love of God and cried out for it. Whether we see the psalmist’s people as ‘them’ because they are of a different time and generation, or because they are of a different faith we can see that there is no one way for ‘them’ to act.
They all cry out to God and are met by the steadfast love of God where they are. And God provides what they need to escape the current predicament as they move back into the presence of God. We too can be met by God no matter our circumstances, no matter our needs and wants. The steadfast love of God finds us where we are, offers us what we lack, and moves us into the presence of God.
October 30, 2018
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
Monday, October 22, 2018
Psalm Meditation 958
Proper 25
October 28, 2018
Psalm 44
1 We have heard with our ears, O God, our ancestors have told us, what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old:
2 you with your own hand drove out the nations, but them you planted; you afflicted the peoples, but them you set free;
3 for not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm give them victory; but your right hand, and your arm, and the light of your countenance, for you delighted in them.
4 You are my King and my God; you command victories for Jacob.
5 Through you we push down our foes; through your name we tread down our assailants.
6 For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me.
7 But you have saved us from our foes, and have put to confusion those who hate us.
8 In God we have boasted continually, and we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah
9 Yet you have rejected us and abased us, and have not gone out with our armies.
10 You made us turn back from the foe, and our enemies have gotten spoil.
11 You have made us like sheep for slaughter, and have scattered us among the nations.
12 You have sold your people for a trifle, demanding no high price for them.
13 You have made us the taunt of our neighbors, the derision and scorn of those around us.
14 You have made us a byword among the nations, a laughingstock among the peoples.
15 All day long my disgrace is before me, and shame has covered my face
16 at the words of the taunters and revilers, at the sight of the enemy and the avenger.
17 All this has come upon us, yet we have not forgotten you, or been false to your covenant.
18 Our heart has not turned back, nor have our steps departed from your way,
19 yet you have broken us in the haunt of jackals, and covered us with deep darkness.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God, or spread out our hands to a strange god,
21 would not God discover this? For he knows the secrets of the heart.
22 Because of you we are being killed all day long, and accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
23 Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord? Awake, do not cast us off forever!
24 Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?
25 For we sink down to the dust; our bodies cling to the ground.
26 Rise up, come to our help. Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love.
(NRSV)
It seems to be a new phenomenon, for us to believe we can save ourselves in the name of God, however it shows up in this psalm. As we look to the past we can see the hand of God in the victories that have brought us to where we are today. If there is the slightest setback or delay in the hand of God coming to our rescue we find ourselves ready to jump in to do what we see needs to be done in order to protect ourselves from harm at the hand of our enemies. We are well aware of what God intends to happen to us. It is God’s intention that we have everything we want and need. If there is any delay in those good things coming our way, it falls to us to secure it for ourselves, and always we act in the name of God.
What if. What if what we desire for ourselves is not what God sees as desirable, holy or acceptable for us. What if we are acting in our own self-interest rather than in the interest and will of God for us? There is a distinctive line between what we want and when we want it, and what God wants for us and when. It is when we are acting on our own that God seems to delay in stepping up to help us achieve these goal and objectives. When we get fixated on something it is hard to see that it may not be anywhere near what is good and holy for us. It is difficult to see that God is not in this. It is difficult to see that we are acting out of fear and selfishness rather than the direction of God.
God is with us in every time and place so it is easy for us to see that presence as support of every selfish, harebrained scheme that comes to mind. God is not interested in money, wealth, and power at the expense of relationships. God would rather we lose out on some of the ‘stuff’ around us if it means we turn to the people around us to achieve some common goal. That God is with us does not mean that we are actively pursuing the will of God. God may be poking and prodding us in a different direction than the one we have chosen. God may be active in setting up the roadblocks we encounter as a way to point us toward a new direction. God is always with us, but that may not mean what we think it means. “Rise up, come to our help. Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love.”
October 22, 2018
LCM
Proper 25
October 28, 2018
Psalm 44
1 We have heard with our ears, O God, our ancestors have told us, what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old:
2 you with your own hand drove out the nations, but them you planted; you afflicted the peoples, but them you set free;
3 for not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm give them victory; but your right hand, and your arm, and the light of your countenance, for you delighted in them.
4 You are my King and my God; you command victories for Jacob.
5 Through you we push down our foes; through your name we tread down our assailants.
6 For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me.
7 But you have saved us from our foes, and have put to confusion those who hate us.
8 In God we have boasted continually, and we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah
9 Yet you have rejected us and abased us, and have not gone out with our armies.
10 You made us turn back from the foe, and our enemies have gotten spoil.
11 You have made us like sheep for slaughter, and have scattered us among the nations.
12 You have sold your people for a trifle, demanding no high price for them.
13 You have made us the taunt of our neighbors, the derision and scorn of those around us.
14 You have made us a byword among the nations, a laughingstock among the peoples.
15 All day long my disgrace is before me, and shame has covered my face
16 at the words of the taunters and revilers, at the sight of the enemy and the avenger.
17 All this has come upon us, yet we have not forgotten you, or been false to your covenant.
18 Our heart has not turned back, nor have our steps departed from your way,
19 yet you have broken us in the haunt of jackals, and covered us with deep darkness.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God, or spread out our hands to a strange god,
21 would not God discover this? For he knows the secrets of the heart.
22 Because of you we are being killed all day long, and accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
23 Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord? Awake, do not cast us off forever!
24 Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?
25 For we sink down to the dust; our bodies cling to the ground.
26 Rise up, come to our help. Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love.
(NRSV)
It seems to be a new phenomenon, for us to believe we can save ourselves in the name of God, however it shows up in this psalm. As we look to the past we can see the hand of God in the victories that have brought us to where we are today. If there is the slightest setback or delay in the hand of God coming to our rescue we find ourselves ready to jump in to do what we see needs to be done in order to protect ourselves from harm at the hand of our enemies. We are well aware of what God intends to happen to us. It is God’s intention that we have everything we want and need. If there is any delay in those good things coming our way, it falls to us to secure it for ourselves, and always we act in the name of God.
What if. What if what we desire for ourselves is not what God sees as desirable, holy or acceptable for us. What if we are acting in our own self-interest rather than in the interest and will of God for us? There is a distinctive line between what we want and when we want it, and what God wants for us and when. It is when we are acting on our own that God seems to delay in stepping up to help us achieve these goal and objectives. When we get fixated on something it is hard to see that it may not be anywhere near what is good and holy for us. It is difficult to see that God is not in this. It is difficult to see that we are acting out of fear and selfishness rather than the direction of God.
God is with us in every time and place so it is easy for us to see that presence as support of every selfish, harebrained scheme that comes to mind. God is not interested in money, wealth, and power at the expense of relationships. God would rather we lose out on some of the ‘stuff’ around us if it means we turn to the people around us to achieve some common goal. That God is with us does not mean that we are actively pursuing the will of God. God may be poking and prodding us in a different direction than the one we have chosen. God may be active in setting up the roadblocks we encounter as a way to point us toward a new direction. God is always with us, but that may not mean what we think it means. “Rise up, come to our help. Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love.”
October 22, 2018
LCM
Monday, October 15, 2018
Psalm Meditation 957
Proper 24
October 21, 2018
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)
According to research, the lower one sinks into poverty that leads to loss of control in life the more deeply one trusts in God. In our prosperity gospel emphasis it would seem that the more one gets, the more one would accept that there is a god who rewards us with riches and punishes ‘those people’ with the poverty they deserve. However, it those who have nothing, and few prospects of getting anything, who are the most likely to believe in God, who rescues the downtrodden and oppressed. It may be that God keeps folks from sinking further into lack of resources and God may offer a bit of help and hope to rise above the current state.
In the depths of need God is there to offer solace and comfort to those who otherwise have no hope and no prospects for survival except by the grace and mercy of God. The psalmist knows that those who have something to lose, will lose it one day. The riches and resources will dry up, be taken away by others, or the owner will die, leaving the resources for another to claim. Those who have nothing but faith in God will always God’s presence in life, in death, in life beyond death.
While we are tempted to see ourselves on the side of God as we read Scripture, chances are good in this case that we can number ourselves among the oppressors and those who hold others down by our sins of omission or of commission. Fortunately, God is gracious and merciful to oppressor and oppressed alike. We can use a portion of our wherewithal to help those who are oppressed stay where they are and perhaps take a step toward the level of ease and comfort in which we live, by the grace of God.
October 15, 2018
LCM
Proper 24
October 21, 2018
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)
According to research, the lower one sinks into poverty that leads to loss of control in life the more deeply one trusts in God. In our prosperity gospel emphasis it would seem that the more one gets, the more one would accept that there is a god who rewards us with riches and punishes ‘those people’ with the poverty they deserve. However, it those who have nothing, and few prospects of getting anything, who are the most likely to believe in God, who rescues the downtrodden and oppressed. It may be that God keeps folks from sinking further into lack of resources and God may offer a bit of help and hope to rise above the current state.
In the depths of need God is there to offer solace and comfort to those who otherwise have no hope and no prospects for survival except by the grace and mercy of God. The psalmist knows that those who have something to lose, will lose it one day. The riches and resources will dry up, be taken away by others, or the owner will die, leaving the resources for another to claim. Those who have nothing but faith in God will always God’s presence in life, in death, in life beyond death.
While we are tempted to see ourselves on the side of God as we read Scripture, chances are good in this case that we can number ourselves among the oppressors and those who hold others down by our sins of omission or of commission. Fortunately, God is gracious and merciful to oppressor and oppressed alike. We can use a portion of our wherewithal to help those who are oppressed stay where they are and perhaps take a step toward the level of ease and comfort in which we live, by the grace of God.
October 15, 2018
LCM
Psalm Meditation 957
Proper 24
October 21, 2018
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)
According to research, the lower one sinks into poverty that leads to loss of control in life the more deeply one trusts in God. In our prosperity gospel emphasis it would seem that the more one gets, the more one would accept that there is a god who rewards us with riches and punishes ‘those people’ with the poverty they deserve. However, it those who have nothing, and few prospects of getting anything, who are the most likely to believe in God, who rescues the downtrodden and oppressed. It may be that God keeps folks from sinking further into lack of resources and God may offer a bit of help and hope to rise above the current state.
In the depths of need God is there to offer solace and comfort to those who otherwise have no hope and no prospects for survival except by the grace and mercy of God. The psalmist knows that those who have something to lose, will lose it one day. The riches and resources will dry up, be taken away by others, or the owner will die, leaving the resources for another to claim. Those who have nothing but faith in God will always God’s presence in life, in death, in life beyond death.
While we are tempted to see ourselves on the side of God as we read Scripture, chances are good in this case that we can number ourselves among the oppressors and those who hold others down by our sins of omission or of commission. Fortunately, God is gracious and merciful to oppressor and oppressed alike. We can use a portion of our wherewithal to help those who are oppressed stay where they are and perhaps take a step toward the level of ease and comfort in which we live, by the grace of God.
October 15, 2018
LCM psalm 9, psalms
Proper 24
October 21, 2018
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)
According to research, the lower one sinks into poverty that leads to loss of control in life the more deeply one trusts in God. In our prosperity gospel emphasis it would seem that the more one gets, the more one would accept that there is a god who rewards us with riches and punishes ‘those people’ with the poverty they deserve. However, it those who have nothing, and few prospects of getting anything, who are the most likely to believe in God, who rescues the downtrodden and oppressed. It may be that God keeps folks from sinking further into lack of resources and God may offer a bit of help and hope to rise above the current state.
In the depths of need God is there to offer solace and comfort to those who otherwise have no hope and no prospects for survival except by the grace and mercy of God. The psalmist knows that those who have something to lose, will lose it one day. The riches and resources will dry up, be taken away by others, or the owner will die, leaving the resources for another to claim. Those who have nothing but faith in God will always God’s presence in life, in death, in life beyond death.
While we are tempted to see ourselves on the side of God as we read Scripture, chances are good in this case that we can number ourselves among the oppressors and those who hold others down by our sins of omission or of commission. Fortunately, God is gracious and merciful to oppressor and oppressed alike. We can use a portion of our wherewithal to help those who are oppressed stay where they are and perhaps take a step toward the level of ease and comfort in which we live, by the grace of God.
October 15, 2018
LCM psalm 9, psalms
Monday, October 8, 2018
Psalm Meditation 956
Proper 23
October 14, 2018
Psalm 142
1 With my voice I cry to the LORD; with my voice I make supplication to the LORD.
2 I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him.
3 When my spirit is faint, you know my way. In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me.
4 Look on my right hand and see—there is no one who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for me.
5 I cry to you, O LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”
6 Give heed to my cry, for I am brought very low. Save me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me.
7 Bring me out of prison, so that I may give thanks to your name. The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me.
(NRSV)
Sometimes the restraints we feel are of our own making. We feel put upon by external influences even when the real pressure is from within. Someone cautions us to stay out of the street because there is a lot of traffic today and then that person walks away. The warning is external. If we stay out of the traffic, the pressure is all from within us. Most of us become aware of the difference in adolescence. We hear the cautions and warnings and heed them. While the constraints have been internalized we may experience them as external.
Other times we wish we still had the physical restraints because we have become dependent on them. When we have learned to ride a bicycle with training wheels, it is a scary experience to take those first few rides without them. We have freedom we are not quite sure we are ready to experience. It takes a few rides to recognize that we have internalized the help the training wheels give. We have our own sense of balance that is not dependent on the extra set of wheels.
Is the psalmist feeling lost and alone due to being trusted with new skills or responsibilities or actually being ignored by friend and foe alike? Either way, the psalmist looks to God for help and comfort. We don’t know if there is a need for comfort from a sense of abandonment or encouragement in a new test of skill and responsibility. Both are daunting. The two experiences can feel similar. And God is available to the psalmist and to us in either situation. God can sit with us when we feel abandoned from being ignored and can cheer us on when we feel abandoned in the pressure of acting on our own.
October 8, 2018
LCM
Proper 23
October 14, 2018
Psalm 142
1 With my voice I cry to the LORD; with my voice I make supplication to the LORD.
2 I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him.
3 When my spirit is faint, you know my way. In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me.
4 Look on my right hand and see—there is no one who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for me.
5 I cry to you, O LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”
6 Give heed to my cry, for I am brought very low. Save me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me.
7 Bring me out of prison, so that I may give thanks to your name. The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me.
(NRSV)
Sometimes the restraints we feel are of our own making. We feel put upon by external influences even when the real pressure is from within. Someone cautions us to stay out of the street because there is a lot of traffic today and then that person walks away. The warning is external. If we stay out of the traffic, the pressure is all from within us. Most of us become aware of the difference in adolescence. We hear the cautions and warnings and heed them. While the constraints have been internalized we may experience them as external.
Other times we wish we still had the physical restraints because we have become dependent on them. When we have learned to ride a bicycle with training wheels, it is a scary experience to take those first few rides without them. We have freedom we are not quite sure we are ready to experience. It takes a few rides to recognize that we have internalized the help the training wheels give. We have our own sense of balance that is not dependent on the extra set of wheels.
Is the psalmist feeling lost and alone due to being trusted with new skills or responsibilities or actually being ignored by friend and foe alike? Either way, the psalmist looks to God for help and comfort. We don’t know if there is a need for comfort from a sense of abandonment or encouragement in a new test of skill and responsibility. Both are daunting. The two experiences can feel similar. And God is available to the psalmist and to us in either situation. God can sit with us when we feel abandoned from being ignored and can cheer us on when we feel abandoned in the pressure of acting on our own.
October 8, 2018
LCM
Monday, October 1, 2018
Psalm Meditation 955
Proper 22
October 7, 2018
Psalm 59
1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from those who work evil; from the bloodthirsty save me.
3 Even now they lie in wait for my life; the mighty stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O LORD,
4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready. Rouse yourself, come to my help and see!
5 You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Awake to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah
6 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.
7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths, with sharp words on their lips—for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?”
8 But you laugh at them, O LORD; you hold all the nations in derision.
9 O my strength, I will watch for you; for you, O God, are my fortress.
10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me; my God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.
11 Do not kill them, or my people may forget; make them totter by your power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield.
12 For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride. For the cursing and lies that they utter,
13 consume them in wrath; consume them until they are no more. Then it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob. Selah
14 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.
15 They roam about for food, and growl if they do not get their fill.
16 But I will sing of your might; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been a fortress for me and a refuge in the day of my distress.
17 O my strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.
(NRSV)
When things are not going our way we are tempted to believe that God is asleep, at the very least, not paying attention. We wonder how God could let us suffer when we have been so good and faithful in our relationship with God. The psalmist calls on God, “You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Awake to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil.” Since we are in trouble God must be asleep.
We can’t imagine that, after promising to be with us all the time, God would let us suffer at the hands of evildoers of any kind. Since it does happen, what is going on in the mind and heart of God? It could be that God is using this as an opportunity to teach us self-sufficiency. It could be that it is not as big an issue for God as it is for us. It could be that we are in the wrong and God is prodding us to acknowledge, confess, and repent of our current course of action. It could be that the folks on the other side of the conflict are also wrong and we all need to suck it up, apologize, reconcile, and move on.
If God is not doing what we would expect God to do, that does not mean that God is not active in the situation at hand. In those times, it is good to sit back and look at where God is at work. By seeing the hand of God we can adjust our thoughts, words, and behavior to line up with God. We don’t want to be those who, “Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.” We want to be the people who, “will sing of your might; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been a fortress for me and a refuge in the day of my distress.”
October 1, 2018
LCM
Proper 22
October 7, 2018
Psalm 59
1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from those who work evil; from the bloodthirsty save me.
3 Even now they lie in wait for my life; the mighty stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O LORD,
4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready. Rouse yourself, come to my help and see!
5 You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Awake to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah
6 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.
7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths, with sharp words on their lips—for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?”
8 But you laugh at them, O LORD; you hold all the nations in derision.
9 O my strength, I will watch for you; for you, O God, are my fortress.
10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me; my God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.
11 Do not kill them, or my people may forget; make them totter by your power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield.
12 For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride. For the cursing and lies that they utter,
13 consume them in wrath; consume them until they are no more. Then it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob. Selah
14 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.
15 They roam about for food, and growl if they do not get their fill.
16 But I will sing of your might; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been a fortress for me and a refuge in the day of my distress.
17 O my strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.
(NRSV)
When things are not going our way we are tempted to believe that God is asleep, at the very least, not paying attention. We wonder how God could let us suffer when we have been so good and faithful in our relationship with God. The psalmist calls on God, “You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Awake to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil.” Since we are in trouble God must be asleep.
We can’t imagine that, after promising to be with us all the time, God would let us suffer at the hands of evildoers of any kind. Since it does happen, what is going on in the mind and heart of God? It could be that God is using this as an opportunity to teach us self-sufficiency. It could be that it is not as big an issue for God as it is for us. It could be that we are in the wrong and God is prodding us to acknowledge, confess, and repent of our current course of action. It could be that the folks on the other side of the conflict are also wrong and we all need to suck it up, apologize, reconcile, and move on.
If God is not doing what we would expect God to do, that does not mean that God is not active in the situation at hand. In those times, it is good to sit back and look at where God is at work. By seeing the hand of God we can adjust our thoughts, words, and behavior to line up with God. We don’t want to be those who, “Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.” We want to be the people who, “will sing of your might; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been a fortress for me and a refuge in the day of my distress.”
October 1, 2018
LCM
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