Psalm Meditation 1267 ¶Proper 21 ¶September 29, 2024 ¶Psalm 138 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+138&version=NRSVUE (NRSVUE) ¶The psalmist begins with a word of thanks and praise. As a part of that, the psalmist mentions the gods. The psalmist was aware that surrounding cultures had divine beings of their own. While these groups might argue over which group was watched over and protected by the best divinities they did not argue over the need to worship mine over yours. It was as if each area was watched and protected by a particular set of beings within a geographic area. There was no overlap or interference from one region to another. ¶Israel was the first to recognize that their God, YHWH, served as guardian and guide wherever they went. When Abram and the rest of the family sojourned, it was in the presence of God. When the people cried out from exile in Egypt, it was YHWH who heard them and led them back into the land from which they had gone in search of food. In all of their journeys as a people and as individuals, they knew that they travelled in the presence of YHWH. ¶While there will always be people willing to point out all the scary and treacherous parts of the world around us, we can rest assured that we are in the presence of YHWH. As long as we keep ourselves humble in each part of our lives we know that YHWH is keeping a close watch over us. Even if we get a little too full of ourselves, thinking we deserve all sorts of special treatment because of who we are, we can be sure that YHWH has an eye on us even if it is from a place that leans toward humility, steadfast love, and mercy. ¶September 23, 2024 ¶LCM