Psalm Meditation 1058 Proper 21 September 27, 2020 Psalm 138 1 I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise; 2 I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness; for you have exalted your name and your word above everything. 3 On the day I called, you answered me, you increased my strength of soul. 4 All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord, for they have heard the words of your mouth. 5 They shall sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord. 6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly; but the haughty he perceives from far away. 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies; you stretch out your hand, and your right hand delivers me. 8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands. (NRSV) We like to think of ourselves as people of God, the ones God loves and cares for; and so we are. God cares for and cares about each one of us. God does have this preference for the poor and needy, those for whom there is no help except from God. While we like to think of ourselves as special, even exceptional in the eyes of God, are we really as helpless as the psalmist seems to be? What if we are not among those who can identify with the psalmist? What if our very thoughts of exceptionalism are the haughtiness that God “perceives from far away(?)” If that were the case, we would do well to humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord rather than assume that we are already among those who are gathered close to God. When we feel put upon by life’s circumstances, in need of the loving, helping hand of God, we do well to examine ourselves even as we ask for help from God. Am I one who needs God’s help to overcome an adversary, or do I need to see that other as the one who is being helped by God to receive some of what I have always seen as mine? Do I need to be helped by God, or am I in a position to be God’s helper by giving up some of what I have for the benefit of others? September 21, 2020 LCM