Psalm Meditation 694
Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 6, 2013

Psalm 3
1 O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying to me, “There is no help for you in God.”Selah
3 But you, O LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.
4 I cry aloud to the LORD, and he answers me from his holy hill.Selah
5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the LORD sustains me.
6 I am not afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.
7 Rise up, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.
8 Deliverance belongs to the LORD; may your blessing be on your people! Selah
(NRSV)

Several years ago, the congregation I was serving at the time had a Miracle Sunday with the goal of $5,000.00. On the day of the offering at least one person confided in the church Council chair that they did not believe we could raise that much money in a single day. When the chair told me the story afterward she said she simply smiled and nodded because she already had more than half of the goal in her pocket, received from those who could not attend that day and wanted to contribute to the cause. I was reminded of that experience when I read the second and third verses of the psalm.

There are those who are quick to tell folks that God could not possibly be present in this or any other situation in life. All we need to do is smile and nod because we know that God is with us as “a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.” Despite appearances to the contrary, we already know that God is with us in this and every event and situation of our lives. That does not mean that we will be rescued from any and all tragedy, free from the trials and tribulations of life. It means that the presence of God will give us comfort and hope now and into the future.

The life events of those who trust in God will not be that much different than for those who do not. The difference will be in the way folks will deal with those events, how they move on from what has happened in the assurance that God is with us to deliver and bless us.

September 30, 2013