Psalm Meditation 556
Sixth Sunday After Epiphany
February 13, 2011

Psalm 125
1 Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, from this time on and forevermore.
3 For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, so that the righteous might not stretch out their hands to do wrong.
4 Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts.
5 But those who turn aside to their own crooked ways the LORD will lead away with evildoers. Peace be upon Israel!
(NRSV)

Sometimes it seems like it would be a good idea for God to have total control over our lives. If God had it all planned out all we would have to do is go along for the ride; no decisions, no choices, simple. If that were the case we would have no reason to pay any attention to God. If God had one life planned for salvation and another for destruction there would be no way to alter that plan. The best hope anyone could have would be that they would be one of the ones set apart for salvation. We would really only be along for the ride.

Since God has made requests, demands and invitations to us we must have some say in how our lives play out. In this case the scepter of wickedness does not rest on the land allotted to the righteous because the righteous have never given that scepter a place to rest. It is not that the righteous can’t as much as won’t give wickedness sway in the land. We actually get to participate in the growth of righteousness every time we make a choice, whether conscious or unconscious.

As we act in accord with the ways of God we discover that we are increasingly aware of the presence of God in our lives and in the lives of those around us. Our awareness of that presence leads us to want an ever deeper and closer relationship with God which in turn leads us to follow the ways of God more closely in more areas of our lives. The peace of God comes as an awareness of the presence of God. Peace be upon us all.

February 7, 2011