Psalm Meditation 991
Trinity Sunday
June 16, 2019

Psalm 27
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh—my adversaries and foes—they shall stumble and fall.
3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident.
4 One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.
5 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.
6 Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!
8 “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!” Your face, Lord, do I seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!
10 If my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
12 Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and they are breathing out violence.
13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
(NRSV)

I can see the psalmist doing a happy dance as a part of the writing and the performing of this psalm. When things are going well for us, it is easy to forget how dependent on God we are. It is an excellent reminder to read a psalm that celebrates the presence of God as a no-matter-what presence. The psalmist jumps for joy while celebrating, ‘God has been and will continue to be good to me, even if all the people around me, including my parents, decide to abandon me.’

In verses 7-9 the dance stops. There is a moment of prayerful reflection as the psalmist is reminded that we can’t take the presence of God for granted. Even in faith that God will not turn away, the psalmist stops to ask God to be a constant presence in the life of the psalmist. No one likes to be taken for granted, and I imagine that God is no exception. While God may not get as hurts as we do, it is still unpleasant for God for us to assume anything about the presence of God.

The happy dance starts again, slowly as the psalmist recognizes how unconditional the love of God is. The taken-for-grantedness has changed to a desire to be in the presence of God as a student, a disciple, as one who wants to revel in the presence of God. The celebration begins by soaking up as much of the glory, majesty, and unassumedness of God as humanly possible. “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”

June 10, 2019
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/