Psalm Meditation 1056 Proper 19 September 13, 2020 Psalm 113 1 Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord; praise the name of the Lord. 2 Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time on and forevermore. 3 From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the Lord is to be praised. 4 The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. 5 Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high, 6 who looks far down on the heavens and the earth? 7 He raises the poor from the dust, and lifts the needy from the ash heap, 8 to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people. 9 He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the Lord! (NRSV) What is the best you can imagine for someone? For the psalmist it is to sit with those who have time to sit, and to have a place full of people to call home. It is possible that this picture of excellence will not fit for us. Is wealth and comfort the best the world has to offer these days. For women, the best is to have lots of children as far as the psalmist is concerned. It may have been the best the world had to offer at the time the psalm was written. Women have a lot of other avenues for fulfillment these days and are not limited to keeping house and raising children. Research has shown that wealthy people do not have a lot of empathy for those who have less than they do. Their lives confine them to thinking that the only reason the rest of us are not as well to do as they are is due to some defect on our part. They believe it is probably just a matter of making new choices and putting in some effort for us to be like them. Women are finding the freedom to things in addition to and instead of giving birth and keeping house. They are opening new horizons for themselves and others to give a whole new range of choices in career and home life. The important part of the psalm is the awareness that God wants the best for us, whether it be lazing by the pool because we can afford the time and luxury, or working hard so we can afford to provide for those who depend on us. Most importantly that we are happy and have a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. Because God loves us and wants what is best for us we have reason to praise God for all that God is and does in every part of our lives. As God wants what is best for us God also wants what is best for those around us, so that we have joy in life without oppressing others who also want the best God has to offer. September 8, 2020 LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/