Psalm Meditation 1355 ¶Proper 5 ¶June 7, 2026 ¶Psalm 83 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%2083&version=NRSVUE ¶It is difficult to fathom what it is like to have national gods who are bound to the borders of the nation as those expand and contract through various wars and conflicts with neighboring nations. However, that is the situation here. Every attack on the nation is also an attack on YHWH. While the people are called upon to defend the physical borders, God is called on to help the people as well as to preserve the spiritual integrity of the nation. Any international conflict becomes a test of whose deity is more powerful than the other. ¶While we may not know what it is like to have our God vying against another, we do know what it is like to be picked on, even ganged up on in order to make us feel small in comparison to all those around us. We still find ourselves calling on God to watch over us as we are attacked by individuals and groups who believe they can use us as pawns and punching bags in their attempts to feel good about themselves. Whether we see ourselves going against flesh and blood or spiritual forces of some kind, we can call on God to bring those others to their knees. ¶Wanting God to come and beat down our enemies does not mean that it is going to happen. God is loving, forgiving, and generous to each of us and all of us. Waiting for God to smite our enemies, leaving us unscathed rarely happens. God comes to us, to those of us who are faithful, to move us in the direction of love, forgiveness, and generosity. ¶June 15, 2026 ¶LCM