Psalm Meditation 1209 ¶Proper 15 ¶August 20, 2023 ¶Psalm 93 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+93&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶Oceans, seas, lakes, and other large bodies of water were fearful places for the people of early biblical times. They were disordered, unruly, and dangerous places for people to venture. Large bodies of water were home to the chaos monster who brought calamity and confusion to people who ventured out into the angry waves. In the act of Creation, God had made a place that was usually safe from the wilds of the waters of chaos. Every now and then the waters would cross into the dry land to bring flooding and its resulting difficulties. ¶When I would be frightened by thunder in nighttime storms, my dad would calm me by telling me to imagine that it was potatoes rolling down the stairs. That image was enough to allow me to take a deep breath or two and drift back to sleep. Perhaps that was the psalmist’s thinking as well. By offering the image of the flood waters roaring out their praise to God, it offered people an opportunity to redirect their fear of the flood to the praise of God for protection from the floodwaters. ¶The world has a lot of scary things in it these days. I imagine the world has always had plenty of things about which people can fret and stress. Through it all, people of faith have lived and died as people of God. They have faced their fears, avoided danger, kept loved ones as safe as possible in any given situation. Those who find and make ways to offer praise and thanksgiving to God have an easier time facing their trials than those who give in to the fear of anything and everything in the world around them. ¶August 14, 2023 ¶LCM