Psalm Meditation 1047
Proper 10
July 12, 2020

Psalm 61
1 Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth I call to you, when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I;
3 for you are my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.
4 Let me abide in your tent forever, find refuge under the shelter of your wings. Selah
5 For you, O God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
6 Prolong the life of the king; may his years endure to all generations!
7 May he be enthroned forever before God; appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!
8 So I will always sing praises to your name, as I pay my vows day after day.
(NRSV)

Before we can make any vows or promises, God is our refuge. It takes us a while to figure that out so we spend a lot of time trying to earn God’s love, trying to deserve all the gifts that God showers on us. We beat ourselves up for not being able to do all the things that seem important to earn God’s love. We have been known to judge the quality of our actions even if we have done the right things. ‘God still doesn’t love me fully because I didn’t do that one thing as well as I could have. And that other thing was not perfect, so how can God possibly love me if I can’t even be perfect?’

First and foremost, God is our refuge. It is a refuge of steadfast love. It isn’t because we have earned a place in God’s strong tower, it is because God loves us. I have an image of a child wrapping arms around a parent’s leg or waist, knowing that there is safety in this kind of closeness. To complete the image a parental hand moves down with a comforting hand on top of the child’s head. For the child, that is the safest refuge, the strongest tower ever. When we change the image to place God in the parental role imagine how safe and comforting that place is when we melt into it.

Know that God already loves you and that you can’t earn or deserve that love. Relax into God’s love and allow it to seep in to all your cracked and broken places. There is no time limit. God is not going to move away from you or get impatient that you are not doing something right or quickly enough.

July 6, 2020
LCM