Psalm Meditation 1328 ¶First Sunday of Advent ¶November 30, 2025 ¶Psalm 56 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2056&version=NRSVUE ¶When a teenager is going through the drama of being that age, we have a tendency to laugh or smile at the depths of their feelings. ‘If they only knew what was coming in adulthood, they would not be so broken up about this.’ What we forget is that they don’t know what is coming, just like we didn’t know in our teen lives. They take it hard because it is the worst thing, or series of things that has ever happened to them. We, as adults, would brush this kind of pain off as nearly inconsequential, instead of remembering back to our own days of teen drama. ¶When we go through our own drama, there will likely be someone who has been through worse. Some will tell us about it, some will empathize with us, even though their own drama would break us. When the psalmist is being oppressed by foes on every side, and in every moment, his suffering would put ours to shame. At the same time, this psalm is shared with us to remind us that no matter the depth of our pain and suffering God is present with us. God is with us whenever we feel oppressed and distressed by anything going on in our lives whether it be teenage angst or the horrors of battle. ¶It is easy to take the suffering of others lightly, especially when it is something we have endured, gotten through, and moved on from in our own lives. It is easy, however it is not faithful. People of faith are encouraged to lift up the downtrodden whether they are suffering a first or a final clash with foes from the outside or the inside. The psalmist reminds us to be grateful for the deliverance we have received and to help others endure their trials. ¶November 25, 2025 ¶LCM