Psalm Meditation 1309 ¶Proper 11 ¶July 20, 2025 ¶Psalm 37 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%2037&version=NRSVUE ¶“Do not fret because of the wicked; do not be envious of wrongdoers, for they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.” I need to hear this these days. It seems as if trusted institutions are crumbling before our eyes and we are left to worry and fret about our present and our future. There is some comfort in knowing that ours is not the first era in which folks have worried about themselves and their loved ones in the face of evil people and institutions. There is also an awareness that what seems like soon to God can be years and even a lifetime for us. ¶Trusting in God does not mean that we get to sit back and do nothing while God does all the heavy lifting. It does mean that some of us will be asked to be the hands and feet of God in the face of the rampant evils of the day. It will mean losing friends and being distanced from family. It will be a time of sacrificing, comfort, certainty, and security in order to follow the way of God. While the way of God is not without cost, it is also full of promise as the community of faith gathers to support those who serve God. ¶In every action and reaction we do well to ask ourselves if we are serving God or expecting God to serve us, to meet our needs, to do what we think is right? Chances are, we will discover that we have made some serious missteps in our walk with God. As we listen for the voice of God in our lives, we can rejoin the path that leads to faithful righteousness. “The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their refuge in the time of trouble. The Lord helps them and rescues them; he rescues them from the wicked and saves them because they take refuge in him.” ¶July 14, 2025 ¶LCM