Showing posts with label Psalm 44. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Psalm 44. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 18, 2022
Psalm Meditation 1166
¶Proper 25
¶October 23, 2022
¶Psalm 44
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+44&version=NRSVUE
(NRSV)
¶I believe that God has more important things to do than move us around like marionettes on the stage of the world, so there is no script or detailed plan for the lives we live. God gives us choices and exerts influence on us to choose the one that leads to a deepening relationship with God and those around us. God is aware that we are free to make choices that lead us away from God as much as we are choices that lead us closer. There is likely some disappointment when we move away, however there is no loss of love for us.
¶This means that God is not the one who fights our battles for us, or leaves us to suffer and die alone when our choices lead away from God. The good thing about this is that God is always with us whether we are aware of that presence or not. The downside is that God is not responsible for our actions. God does not do things to us or for us; God is with us. In times of trouble, God may open our hearts and eyes to those who are ready, willing, and able to help us out. In good times God may open our hearts and eyes to those in need of something we have to offer.
¶Despite the psalmist’s calling on God to give us victory rather than letting us get broken and abandoned, I do not believe God works that way. The way of God is to move us in directions that lead to deepening relationships with all those around us, including God. We are responsible for our own thoughts and actions, while God is responsive to us in every time and place, guiding us in the way that leads to abundant life and steadfast love.
¶October 18, 2022
¶LCM
Monday, May 24, 2021
Psalm Meditation 1093
Trinity Sunday
May 30, 2021
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)
When things are going well, we have to remind ourselves that God has a lot to do with our success, having given us our skills and abilities to use and refine. The psalmist goes so far as to say that our success is due to the work of God for us. As long as God is fighting for us we don’t need to have skills and abilities of our own because God is the one doing all the work. It is no use to trust our weapons if we do not place our primary loyalty in God.
The psalmist raises a lament due to the military losses the people have suffered. We must have done something to deserve being chased off of the battlefield by superior forces on the other side. The psalmist does not know of any way that our people have been unfaithful, so this loss must be the fault of God rather than us. Since absolute rulers of the day were inconsistent in their rules and enforcement this is the only example people had for divine action.
God is not as wishy washy as the psalmist wants to believe. At the same time, God is not the direct cause of everything that happens to us. God has given each of us, friend and foe alike, the ability to make our own choices and to live with the consequences of our actions. As we get to live with the consequences of our choices, as do those around us, we live with the consequences of actions by those around us through no fault of our own.
May 24, 2021
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
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, March 31, 2014
Psalm Meditation 720
Fifth Sunday of Lent
April 6, 2014
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)
One way of seeing the presence of God is to believe that when things are going well for us God is with us, when they are not going well God has abandoned us. This is the view of the psalmist. The behavior of God is determined by the way we behave. When we are good and faithful all is well and God fights for us in battle and delivers us from all the things we find unpleasant at any time. When we are bad and unfaithful God walks away from us allowing folks from other nations to come in and beat us up until we return to the ways of God. The presence of God depends on us and our behavior. The presence of God becomes conditional.
Another view is that God is with us all the time no matter what. When we are faithful we are able to sense the presence of God more easily as we are conscious of all the ways God is with us in any given time. When we are bad and unfaithful God is with us even though we may be distracted and unable or unwilling to focus on God’s presence. The presence of God is a choice made by God to be with us in all times and places. The presence of God is unconditional.
Either choice we make we will find ways to justify our decision. When things go badly for us we will either believe that God has caused this because of our sinfulness or we will believe that God is with us in this particular calamity offering us the gift of presence in this terrible circumstance. When things go well for us we will either believe that God is with us because we are good and have done something to deserve the presence of God or we will believe that God is with us in this particular bit of good fortune offering us the gift of presence in this excellent circumstance.
I believe that the presence of God is not affected by my behavior. God is present with me, with us, in all times and places, helping us, redeeming us, comforting us and loving us with a steadfast and unconditional love.
March 31, 2014
Fifth Sunday of Lent
April 6, 2014
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)
One way of seeing the presence of God is to believe that when things are going well for us God is with us, when they are not going well God has abandoned us. This is the view of the psalmist. The behavior of God is determined by the way we behave. When we are good and faithful all is well and God fights for us in battle and delivers us from all the things we find unpleasant at any time. When we are bad and unfaithful God walks away from us allowing folks from other nations to come in and beat us up until we return to the ways of God. The presence of God depends on us and our behavior. The presence of God becomes conditional.
Another view is that God is with us all the time no matter what. When we are faithful we are able to sense the presence of God more easily as we are conscious of all the ways God is with us in any given time. When we are bad and unfaithful God is with us even though we may be distracted and unable or unwilling to focus on God’s presence. The presence of God is a choice made by God to be with us in all times and places. The presence of God is unconditional.
Either choice we make we will find ways to justify our decision. When things go badly for us we will either believe that God has caused this because of our sinfulness or we will believe that God is with us in this particular calamity offering us the gift of presence in this terrible circumstance. When things go well for us we will either believe that God is with us because we are good and have done something to deserve the presence of God or we will believe that God is with us in this particular bit of good fortune offering us the gift of presence in this excellent circumstance.
I believe that the presence of God is not affected by my behavior. God is present with me, with us, in all times and places, helping us, redeeming us, comforting us and loving us with a steadfast and unconditional love.
March 31, 2014
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