Psalm Meditation 737
Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 3, 2014

Psalm 91
1 You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
2 will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.”
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence;
4 he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day,
6 or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that wastes at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the LORD your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place,
10 no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
14 Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name.
15 When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them.
16 With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation.
(NRSV)

To take this psalm literally is dangerous to body and soul. To take this psalm seriously is quite another matter. We know that suffering is a part of the life of each person and that God does not pull us out of trouble when we get into it or put up a blockade to keep us out of the dangers that are a part of life. When Jesus was tempted with verses 11 and 12 he was unwilling to test the literal truth even as he was more than willing to put his whole faith and trust in God. There are people of faith who walk into dangerous situations and come out unharmed. There are other situations in which people of faith do get hurt and do get killed without regard to their faithfulness. And there are folks who walk into situations that seem dangerous and deadly to us which hold no fear for them. As people of faith we are not exempt from the suffering and danger of the world around us.

In times of crisis, people of faith have a touch point that is missing in the lives of others. We have a place, a person, where we can turn to keep our hope and courage centered. The presence of God does not change the outward appearance of the situation in any way. The presence of God does not keep us from hurting and suffering. The presence of God gives us hope that no matter what God is with us. God offers us the comfort of the divine presence. In most times of suffering the most comforting thing to know is that we are not alone.

I imagine that for the psalmist the phrase that gets left out of many of the sentences of this psalm is, ‘it is as if…’ Secure in the presence of God, it is as if we are covered by the wings of God, as if we are kept from injury and death, as if angels watch over us to keep us from even the smallest tripping hazard. The presence of God does not change what is going on around us, protect us from or pull us out of danger. The presence of God changes us, giving us help, hope and perspective in facing the trials of our lives.

July 28, 2014
LCM