Psalm Meditation 1232 ¶Fourth Sunday After Epiphany ¶January 28, 2024 ¶Psalm 110 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+110&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶It is easy to write this off as a fantasy, the words of a sycophant, a toady, a suck-up. It is just as easy to take it as a work of imagination, what could be if God did things the way that we want them done. Yet, in a sense, it is not too far off from reality. We don’t remember the names of the rulers David battled through his life and reign, however we do remember David. Being remembered as one who was faithful to God as much as anything is a victory in itself. Not all of the people remembered fondly by history were celebrated in their own lifetimes. ¶Imagination gives us the chutzpah to act on our dreams, perhaps even to realize some of them. That the psalmist imagined a great victory for David and the nation may have been the word that David needed to lead the people to any victory they may have achieved. Knowing that God was with them through the conflicts and battles would certainly empower and encourage folks to brave the trials that met them on the way. The presence of God makes a tremendous difference to those who take it seriously. ¶Imagining something does not mean that it will happen the way we want it to happen, it plants a seed that may grow and bear fruit in a way we did not see. Acting on our imagination may show us that this idea does not work, and that can be an important piece of information as well. A misstep or mistake can lead us to one of the ways that does work. If the psalmist was mistaken about God wiping out every enemy in sight this time, I know that there is no mistake about God being with us every time and everywhere. ¶January 22, 2024 ¶LCM