Psalm Meditation 1179 ¶Third Sunday After the Epiphany ¶January 22, 2023 ¶Psalm 63 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+63&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶The first line of this psalm has been my prayer phrase for most of my adult life. Sometimes it is a statement of fact, I am currently seeking God so that I can come closer to serving God with my whole heart and life. Other times it is and aspirational statement. When I feel as if I have wandered away, it is a reminder to reconnect to God. In dark times it serves as a challenge. I want God to be my God, and I want to seek God, however I feel so far away that it is a nearly impossible task. ¶The rest of the psalm fills in the spaces of my attitude and energy. I find reason to praise God, to feel as if I am the guest at a rich feast of delicious, sweet and savory things that fill me to contentment. I may be close to or far away from my host, however I am present at the banquet. Other times I feel as if I am being chased down for destruction by adversaries and enemies. At those times I call on God to turn the tables on my pursuers so that they are the prey in God’s hunt. Even then, I am reminded in some way that God does not feed my enemies to the jackals, any more than I am fed to the jackals to satisfy them. The love of God is steadfast, not just for me and people like me, the steadfast love of God is for each of us. ¶God is good, and God is with us. When we seek God as a source of love, comfort, and inspiration to do and be our best God is there. When we wander off in pursuit of our own way God is present, inviting us into the way of life, love, and wholeness. God is with us when we know it and when we don’t. God is with us when we like it and when we don’t. God is with us when we believe it and when we don’t. “O God, you are my God; I seek you.” ¶January 16, 2023 ¶LCM