Psalm Meditation 787
Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time
July 19, 2015

Psalm 118
1 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”
3 Let the house of Aaron say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the LORD say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”
5 Out of my distress I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me in a broad place.
6 With the LORD on my side I do not fear. What can mortals do to me?
7 The LORD is on my side to help me; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.
8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to put confidence in mortals.
9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.
10 All nations surrounded me; in the name of the LORD I cut them off!
11 They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side; in the name of the LORD I cut them off!
12 They surrounded me like bees; they blazed like a fire of thorns; in the name of the LORD I cut them off!
13 I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the LORD helped me.
14 The LORD is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation.
15 There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the LORD does valiantly;
16 the right hand of the LORD is exalted; the right hand of the LORD does valiantly.”
17 I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the LORD.
18 The LORD has punished me severely, but he did not give me over to death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the LORD.
20 This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall enter through it.
21 I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation.
22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Save us, we beseech you, O LORD! O LORD, we beseech you, give us success!
26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD. We bless you from the house of the LORD.
27 The LORD is God, and he has given us light. Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God, I will extol you.
29 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.
(NRSV)

Alarm systems can be breached by someone who is intent on getting past them. Even if the alarm is triggered it is often possible to get in and out before anyone has time to respond. Also, guard animals can be bypassed in most cases. If someone can come up with a method of protection, someone else can come up with a way to get around it. Knowing that if one can make a way to protect something another will take it as a challenge to get past it will not stop folks from rising to meet the companion challenges. Wanting to protect something practically invites another to covet it.

The psalmist invites us to turn to God for protection. Does this mean that our stuff is now safe from harm or theft? Are we protected from any and all bodily harm because we have given ourselves over to God? The answer to both questions is, no. There have been times in which folks did believe that God protected people and things from loss and harm. I believe the protection of God means something very different.

When we give ourselves over to God for protection we have a new idea of what it means to be safe. To be in the arms of God is to be watched over and loved no matter what happens to us. It means to value things less and a relationship with God more. In plenty or in want, we are in the hands of God. In life or death, we are in the hands of God. We see things from the perspective of God’s abiding presence in and among us in a rich variety of ways.

July 13, 2015
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/