Psalm Meditation 725
Fourth Sunday of Easter
May 11, 2014

Psalm 93
1 The LORD is king, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed, he is girded with strength. He has established the world; it shall never be moved;
2 your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.
3 The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring.
4 More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters, more majestic than the waves of the sea, majestic on high is the LORD!
5 Your decrees are very sure; holiness befits your house, O LORD, forevermore.
(NRSV)

There are those who need constant reassurance that their contributions to life in the world are of sufficient quality to be noticed by all. They seek out these reassurances and prompt the folks around them to offer them if they do not arrive in the quantity and frequency required. When these folks rise to positions of authority and power they can surround themselves with ‘yes-folks,’ those who will instantly agree with the ideas and suggestions of the one who runs the show. And they can dismiss folks who are not fast enough with a compliment or who dare to suggest an alternative. In some settings the one in charge is the boss while in other settings that same type of person is seen as a bully.

The other extreme is the folks who do quality work to the best of their ability and live out their lives with an assurance of their own commitment to excellence. They find themselves content with knowing that they do their best with a desire to contribute the best they have to offer in any given circumstance. They don’t need a constant barrage of compliments and they are more than willing to listen and learn from those with different viewpoints and perspectives. In the give and take of ideas and experiences a more rounded solution can be discovered and put into practice. They neither discount nor demand any compliments that come their way.

God is one who does not require our constant attention, does not demand a constant stream of praise and thanks from us. God does appreciate being noticed, acknowledged and thanked, if for no other reason than to keep lines of communication open. There are folks with whom we go long stretches without hearing from each other and pick up the relationship as if no time has passed. That does not mean that we make a habit of losing contact to test the strength of the relationship, only that it will weather time and distance. Is the praise of this psalm required by God in order to keep watching over us, is it required of us in order to remain in God’s good graces, or is it simply a word from grateful people to one who appreciates hearing from us?

May 5, 2014