Psalm Meditation 1376 ¶All Saints Day ¶November 1, 2026 ¶Psalm 86 ¶https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2086&version=NRSVUE ¶For many years pastors, scholars, and other concerned Bible experts have said that the Bible is a mirror, we see what we bring to it reflected back to us from it. In the case of this psalm, it is possible to read it as a whiny plea from one who feels helpless in the face of daily life. ‘Please, before I crawl into a hole and disappear, help me face this day and all the trials and tribulations that will come my way.’ Or, we can see it as a confident, faithful person placing their faith in God to stand with them through all the parts of the day. ‘Whatever this day brings, I can face it more confidently knowing that you, O God, are with me to guide me with a more open perspective than I would have on my own.’ ¶While any of us can see the psalmists as either whiny or confidently faithful, I believe even the whiniest psalmist is a person of enough faith to believe that God is willing and able to stand among us for the purpose of buoying up our faith. With a strengthened faith we can more readily serve those around us with the grace we receive as people of God. We experience the steadfast love of God as a gift rather than a reward for anything we might have done. And when difficulties arise, we see God as one of mercy and grace whose love gives us constant hope. ¶And God does not teach by lecture; God teaches by experience, always by example. Stories from Rabbis, mystics, and monastic folks include stories of people who prayed for patience and were beset by trials throughout the day. When they asked God why they had been so troubled through the day God would answer consistently, ‘The best way to learn patience is by having your patience sorely tried.’ We learn love by being exposed to those we find difficult to love; mercy and grace from those we are reluctant to extend mercy or grace. And always we learn by the way God treats us with love, mercy, and grace. ¶October 26, 2026 ¶LCM