Showing posts with label Psalm 35. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Psalm 35. Show all posts
Monday, September 22, 2025
Psalm Meditation 1319
¶Proper 21
¶September 28, 2025
¶Psalm 35
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%2035&version=NRSVUE
¶I am told that I am, at least, slightly cynical. I am sure there is more truth to that than I am willing to admit, especially when I read psalms like this one. My first interpretation is that this is someone who has done something to upset folks. When those folks begin to retaliate, the psalmist goes into victim mode. ‘Oh God do you see what all those mean people are doing to me? You need to step in and destroy them all.’ I am pretty sure that victim culture is a fairly modern concept, so there must be something else at work for the psalmist.
¶I am told that, despite all the cheerleading to the contrary, Israel was neither big nor powerful in relation to neighboring nation states, so the people and the state were plagued by attacks from more powerful people and nations. Whether the psalmist was David, or someone writing in his name, an attack on the ruler was an attack on the entire nation. And, an attack on the nation was an attack on the ruler. It was demoralizing to be attacked on a regular basis. It was death by a thousand cuts.
¶In the midst of those demoralizing attacks, a voice is raised to God to protect the nation from the folks who spent their time and energy attempting to antagonize and demoralize the people of Israel. If God were to step in to the fray with us, we would know that we can’t be destroyed even if we are driven from our land or killed outright. With God on our side we have the assurance that we have a place in the presence of God, even if we do not have a place on earth to call home.
¶September 22, 2025
¶LCM
Monday, December 19, 2022
Psalm Meditation 1175
¶Christmas
¶December 25, 2022
¶Psalm 35
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+35&version=NRSVUE
(NRSV)
¶We don’t get involved in conflicts knowing that we are wrong and defending our point of view anyway. Even when we play devil’s advocate to someone else’s argument, it is because we believe another side has to be heard. So we know that the psalmist believes in the cause on this side of the armed conflict. Since I am right, that must mean that the folks who oppose me are wrong. Because that is the case, it is only fair for God to help me beat these others into submission.
¶Since we don’t go to battle of any kind knowing that we are wrong, it must be true of the folks on the other side as well. From our point of view, ‘those people’ are wrong to the point of being on the side of evil. It is also the case that ‘those people’ see us as wrong and evil. So, who is right? It depends on the perspective of those in the conflict. Our starting assumptions determine which direction we take our arguments. When ‘those people’ choose different priorities they will come to different conclusions. There will be enough truth on each side to convince us of the need to cross swords in the defense of our truth.
¶Rather than choosing the way of the psalmist, “My side is right and all the other sides are wrong.” we can choose the way of understanding. Listen to the opposing arguments and the assumptions behind them. We can still disagree even if we totally understand the opposing viewpoint. We can continue to defend our point of view without calling on God to destroy those who disagree. This would be especially handy if it turns out that we are the ones who are mostly in the wrong. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…”
¶December 19, 2022
¶LCM
Monday, May 11, 2020
Psalm Meditation 1039
Sixth Sunday of Easter
May 17, 2020
Psalm 35
1 Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me!
2 Take hold of shield and buckler, and rise up to help me!
3 Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers; say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”
4 Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life. Let them be turned back and confounded who devise evil against me.
5 Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them on.
6 Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
7 For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life.
8 Let ruin come on them unawares. And let the net that they hid ensnare them; let them fall in it—to their ruin.
9 Then my soul shall rejoice in the Lord, exulting in his deliverance.
10 All my bones shall say, “O Lord, who is like you? You deliver the weak from those too strong for them, the weak and needy from those who despoil them.”
11 Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me about things I do not know.
12 They repay me evil for good; my soul is forlorn.
13 But as for me, when they were sick, I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting. I prayed with head bowed on my bosom,
14 as though I grieved for a friend or a brother; I went about as one who laments for a mother, bowed down and in mourning.
15 But at my stumbling they gathered in glee, they gathered together against me; ruffians whom I did not know tore at me without ceasing;
16 they impiously mocked more and more, gnashing at me with their teeth.
17 How long, O Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages, my life from the lions!
18 Then I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you.
19 Do not let my treacherous enemies rejoice over me, or those who hate me without cause wink the eye.
20 For they do not speak peace, but they conceive deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.
21 They open wide their mouths against me; they say, “Aha, Aha, our eyes have seen it.”
22 You have seen, O Lord; do not be silent! O Lord, do not be far from me!
23 Wake up! Bestir yourself for my defense, for my cause, my God and my Lord!
24 Vindicate me, O Lord, my God, according to your righteousness, and do not let them rejoice over me.
25 Do not let them say to themselves, “Aha, we have our heart’s desire.” Do not let them say, “We have swallowed you up.”
26 Let all those who rejoice at my calamity be put to shame and confusion; let those who exalt themselves against me be clothed with shame and dishonor.
27 Let those who desire my vindication shout for joy and be glad, and say evermore, “Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of his servant.”
28 Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all day long.
(NRSV)
Recognizing that the Bible is a mirror, and that we get out of it what we have to put into it, this psalm strikes me as the words of a whiner. ‘Everybody is picking on me, even after all the wonderful things I did for them. And God, if you loved me you would put all those big meanies in their place.’ Here in the middle of a pandemic, it is easy to get whiny and to expect that God will make it all right by changing all those other people and giving me a smooth route from here on.
Rarely is the fault all on one side. My wife was a much sought after substitute teacher when our children were in school. Her rule on tattling was that you had to start with what you had done to start or escalate the situation. Once students realized that they could not get someone else in trouble without getting themselves in some as well, it ruined tattling for most of them. As we begin to moan and whine to God about all the big meanies picking on us, it is a good idea to look to ourselves to see what we may have done to contribute to the problem, even how our actions may have been taken in a way we did mean them.
And God has this way of dealing with us calmly, despite our desire for the violent end to all who have wronged us most recently. And sometimes the very calmness of God can set us off again because we want violence to rain down on those people who ruined my life, or at least my day. Eventually, we do see some sense in the ways of God and we can say, ““Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of his servant.” Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all day long.”
May 11, 2020
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Sixth Sunday of Easter
May 17, 2020
Psalm 35
1 Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me!
2 Take hold of shield and buckler, and rise up to help me!
3 Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers; say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”
4 Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life. Let them be turned back and confounded who devise evil against me.
5 Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them on.
6 Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
7 For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life.
8 Let ruin come on them unawares. And let the net that they hid ensnare them; let them fall in it—to their ruin.
9 Then my soul shall rejoice in the Lord, exulting in his deliverance.
10 All my bones shall say, “O Lord, who is like you? You deliver the weak from those too strong for them, the weak and needy from those who despoil them.”
11 Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me about things I do not know.
12 They repay me evil for good; my soul is forlorn.
13 But as for me, when they were sick, I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting. I prayed with head bowed on my bosom,
14 as though I grieved for a friend or a brother; I went about as one who laments for a mother, bowed down and in mourning.
15 But at my stumbling they gathered in glee, they gathered together against me; ruffians whom I did not know tore at me without ceasing;
16 they impiously mocked more and more, gnashing at me with their teeth.
17 How long, O Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages, my life from the lions!
18 Then I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you.
19 Do not let my treacherous enemies rejoice over me, or those who hate me without cause wink the eye.
20 For they do not speak peace, but they conceive deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.
21 They open wide their mouths against me; they say, “Aha, Aha, our eyes have seen it.”
22 You have seen, O Lord; do not be silent! O Lord, do not be far from me!
23 Wake up! Bestir yourself for my defense, for my cause, my God and my Lord!
24 Vindicate me, O Lord, my God, according to your righteousness, and do not let them rejoice over me.
25 Do not let them say to themselves, “Aha, we have our heart’s desire.” Do not let them say, “We have swallowed you up.”
26 Let all those who rejoice at my calamity be put to shame and confusion; let those who exalt themselves against me be clothed with shame and dishonor.
27 Let those who desire my vindication shout for joy and be glad, and say evermore, “Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of his servant.”
28 Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all day long.
(NRSV)
Recognizing that the Bible is a mirror, and that we get out of it what we have to put into it, this psalm strikes me as the words of a whiner. ‘Everybody is picking on me, even after all the wonderful things I did for them. And God, if you loved me you would put all those big meanies in their place.’ Here in the middle of a pandemic, it is easy to get whiny and to expect that God will make it all right by changing all those other people and giving me a smooth route from here on.
Rarely is the fault all on one side. My wife was a much sought after substitute teacher when our children were in school. Her rule on tattling was that you had to start with what you had done to start or escalate the situation. Once students realized that they could not get someone else in trouble without getting themselves in some as well, it ruined tattling for most of them. As we begin to moan and whine to God about all the big meanies picking on us, it is a good idea to look to ourselves to see what we may have done to contribute to the problem, even how our actions may have been taken in a way we did mean them.
And God has this way of dealing with us calmly, despite our desire for the violent end to all who have wronged us most recently. And sometimes the very calmness of God can set us off again because we want violence to rain down on those people who ruined my life, or at least my day. Eventually, we do see some sense in the ways of God and we can say, ““Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of his servant.” Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all day long.”
May 11, 2020
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Monday, April 17, 2017
Psalm Meditation 879
Second Sunday of Easter
April 23, 2017
Psalm 35
1 Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me!
2 Take hold of shield and buckler, and rise up to help me!
3 Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers; say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”
4 Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life. Let them be turned back and confounded who devise evil against me.
5 Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them on.
6 Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.
7 For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life.
8 Let ruin come on them unawares. And let the net that they hid ensnare them; let them fall in it—to their ruin.
9 Then my soul shall rejoice in the LORD, exulting in his deliverance.
10 All my bones shall say, “O LORD, who is like you? You deliver the weak from those too strong for them, the weak and needy from those who despoil them.”
11 Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me about things I do not know.
12 They repay me evil for good; my soul is forlorn.
13 But as for me, when they were sick, I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting. I prayed with head bowed on my bosom,
14 as though I grieved for a friend or a brother; I went about as one who laments for a mother, bowed down and in mourning.
15 But at my stumbling they gathered in glee, they gathered together against me; ruffians whom I did not know tore at me without ceasing;
16 they impiously mocked more and more, gnashing at me with their teeth.
17 How long, O LORD, will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages, my life from the lions!
18 Then I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you.
19 Do not let my treacherous enemies rejoice over me, or those who hate me without cause wink the eye.
20 For they do not speak peace, but they conceive deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.
21 They open wide their mouths against me; they say, “Aha, Aha, our eyes have seen it.”
22 You have seen, O LORD; do not be silent! O Lord, do not be far from me!
23 Wake up! Bestir yourself for my defense, for my cause, my God and my Lord!
24 Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to your righteousness, and do not let them rejoice over me.
25 Do not let them say to themselves, “Aha, we have our heart’s desire.” Do not let them say, “We have swallowed you up.”
26 Let all those who rejoice at my calamity be put to shame and confusion;
let those who exalt themselves against me be clothed with shame and dishonor.
27 Let those who desire my vindication shout for joy and be glad, and say evermore, “Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of his servant.”
28 Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all day long.
(NRSV)
When confronted with the reality of sin in our lives most of the people I know can admit a share of guilt as they suffer the consequences of their sinful actions. Knowing that we are answerable to God, that God knows us better than we know ourselves, we can admit that we may have had a hand in our own downfall. We may even be able to accept the punishment that is a part of sin when we see this infraction as primarily between ourselves and God.
When it is between you and me, it is a different story. Yes, some of our Puritan sensibility may kick in and we will know that I must be guilty because I am human. However, you better get the lion’s share of the punishment because I know that you are more at fault than I. This is what we have in the psalm. These folks who are out to get me have got to be evil because I am such a good person and couldn’t possibly deserve any of the things they are doing to me. For that matter, any time there is a me against you situation I am going to call on God to take care of you because you couldn’t possibly be right in the eyes of God when I am on the other side of the question/problem. It is possible that the psalmist is correct in the particular case of the psalm. It may be that a good person is being persecuted for reasons unknown to the psalmist and to us, and those reasons are unfounded and vindictive. There are those who pick on others because of the goodness of that other. We can’t imagine that anyone is really as good as they come across in daily life so traps and snares are set as a test of their goodness.
Some people really are as good a people as they appear to be. They call on God because they genuinely do not understand what is happening to them. Others are not as good as they appear and they call on God to ‘take care of’ those who don’t see how wonderful they must be. So, we do well to look at both sides of these situations. Am I picking on someone just to be mean spirited and vindictive, for good reason or not? Am I being picked on by a bunch of big meanies or do I have a holier than thou attitude that drives people to pick on me or, at least, take some joy in it when others are doing the picking. Either way God loves us beyond measure and moves to correct all who need correction.
April 17, 2017
LCM
Second Sunday of Easter
April 23, 2017
Psalm 35
1 Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me!
2 Take hold of shield and buckler, and rise up to help me!
3 Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers; say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”
4 Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life. Let them be turned back and confounded who devise evil against me.
5 Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them on.
6 Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.
7 For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life.
8 Let ruin come on them unawares. And let the net that they hid ensnare them; let them fall in it—to their ruin.
9 Then my soul shall rejoice in the LORD, exulting in his deliverance.
10 All my bones shall say, “O LORD, who is like you? You deliver the weak from those too strong for them, the weak and needy from those who despoil them.”
11 Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me about things I do not know.
12 They repay me evil for good; my soul is forlorn.
13 But as for me, when they were sick, I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting. I prayed with head bowed on my bosom,
14 as though I grieved for a friend or a brother; I went about as one who laments for a mother, bowed down and in mourning.
15 But at my stumbling they gathered in glee, they gathered together against me; ruffians whom I did not know tore at me without ceasing;
16 they impiously mocked more and more, gnashing at me with their teeth.
17 How long, O LORD, will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages, my life from the lions!
18 Then I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you.
19 Do not let my treacherous enemies rejoice over me, or those who hate me without cause wink the eye.
20 For they do not speak peace, but they conceive deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.
21 They open wide their mouths against me; they say, “Aha, Aha, our eyes have seen it.”
22 You have seen, O LORD; do not be silent! O Lord, do not be far from me!
23 Wake up! Bestir yourself for my defense, for my cause, my God and my Lord!
24 Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to your righteousness, and do not let them rejoice over me.
25 Do not let them say to themselves, “Aha, we have our heart’s desire.” Do not let them say, “We have swallowed you up.”
26 Let all those who rejoice at my calamity be put to shame and confusion;
let those who exalt themselves against me be clothed with shame and dishonor.
27 Let those who desire my vindication shout for joy and be glad, and say evermore, “Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of his servant.”
28 Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all day long.
(NRSV)
When confronted with the reality of sin in our lives most of the people I know can admit a share of guilt as they suffer the consequences of their sinful actions. Knowing that we are answerable to God, that God knows us better than we know ourselves, we can admit that we may have had a hand in our own downfall. We may even be able to accept the punishment that is a part of sin when we see this infraction as primarily between ourselves and God.
When it is between you and me, it is a different story. Yes, some of our Puritan sensibility may kick in and we will know that I must be guilty because I am human. However, you better get the lion’s share of the punishment because I know that you are more at fault than I. This is what we have in the psalm. These folks who are out to get me have got to be evil because I am such a good person and couldn’t possibly deserve any of the things they are doing to me. For that matter, any time there is a me against you situation I am going to call on God to take care of you because you couldn’t possibly be right in the eyes of God when I am on the other side of the question/problem. It is possible that the psalmist is correct in the particular case of the psalm. It may be that a good person is being persecuted for reasons unknown to the psalmist and to us, and those reasons are unfounded and vindictive. There are those who pick on others because of the goodness of that other. We can’t imagine that anyone is really as good as they come across in daily life so traps and snares are set as a test of their goodness.
Some people really are as good a people as they appear to be. They call on God because they genuinely do not understand what is happening to them. Others are not as good as they appear and they call on God to ‘take care of’ those who don’t see how wonderful they must be. So, we do well to look at both sides of these situations. Am I picking on someone just to be mean spirited and vindictive, for good reason or not? Am I being picked on by a bunch of big meanies or do I have a holier than thou attitude that drives people to pick on me or, at least, take some joy in it when others are doing the picking. Either way God loves us beyond measure and moves to correct all who need correction.
April 17, 2017
LCM
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Psalm Meditation 774
Third Sunday of Easter
April 19, 2015
Psalm 35
1 Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me!
2 Take hold of shield and buckler, and rise up to help me!
3 Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers; say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”
4 Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life. Let them be turned back and confounded who devise evil against me.
5 Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them on.
6 Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.
7 For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life.
8 Let ruin come on them unawares. And let the net that they hid ensnare them; let them fall in it—to their ruin.
9 Then my soul shall rejoice in the LORD, exulting in his deliverance.
10 All my bones shall say, “O LORD, who is like you? You deliver the weak from those too strong for them, the weak and needy from those who despoil them.”
11 Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me about things I do not know.
12 They repay me evil for good; my soul is forlorn.
13 But as for me, when they were sick, I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting. I prayed with head bowed on my bosom,
14 as though I grieved for a friend or a brother; I went about as one who laments for a mother, bowed down and in mourning.
15 But at my stumbling they gathered in glee, they gathered together against me; ruffians whom I did not know tore at me without ceasing;
16 they impiously mocked more and more, gnashing at me with their teeth.
17 How long, O LORD, will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages, my life from the lions!
18 Then I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you.
19 Do not let my treacherous enemies rejoice over me, or those who hate me without cause wink the eye.
20 For they do not speak peace, but they conceive deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.
21 They open wide their mouths against me; they say, “Aha, Aha, our eyes have seen it.”
22 You have seen, O LORD; do not be silent! O Lord, do not be far from me!
23 Wake up! Bestir yourself for my defense, for my cause, my God and my Lord!
24 Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to your righteousness, and do not let them rejoice over me.
25 Do not let them say to themselves, “Aha, we have our heart’s desire.” Do not let them say, “We have swallowed you up.”
26 Let all those who rejoice at my calamity be put to shame and confusion;
let those who exalt themselves against me be clothed with shame and dishonor.
27 Let those who desire my vindication shout for joy and be glad, and say evermore, “Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of his servant.”
28 Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all day long.
(NRSV)
There comes a time that we are so weary of doing battle against those who rise against us that we must turn to God to carry on the fight for us. We may face human adversaries who have reason to contend with us. Their reasons may not make any sense to us, which seems to be the case for the psalmist. The lack of understanding between us and them is often a key ingredient in a battle. We join a battle when we believe that our side is worth defending. We turn to God when we know that we need help from one who is mightier and has more stamina than we have left for the fight. We know that God will stand with us in steadfast love.
Besides the external battles we may face internal struggles. There are battles within as we face physical, psychological or spiritual adversities. We know what we want for ourselves even as we feel the tremendous pressure on body, mind and spirit to go the easy route. We find ourselves tempted to give in or give up in the face of any and all of the forces that pull us away from what we know is the right path. We turn to God for help and comfort in the battle for our lives against a variety of forces.
While God may rise up against our enemies from within or without, what we can count on is that God will be with us in every situation. To experience the presence of God renews our energy, reshapes our perspective and gives a peace we cannot get anywhere else. In God we find rest. The battles continue to rage around us and within us, somehow it seems a little less daunting, a little more hopeful when we are in the presence of God.
April 14, 2015
LCM
Third Sunday of Easter
April 19, 2015
Psalm 35
1 Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me!
2 Take hold of shield and buckler, and rise up to help me!
3 Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers; say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”
4 Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life. Let them be turned back and confounded who devise evil against me.
5 Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them on.
6 Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.
7 For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life.
8 Let ruin come on them unawares. And let the net that they hid ensnare them; let them fall in it—to their ruin.
9 Then my soul shall rejoice in the LORD, exulting in his deliverance.
10 All my bones shall say, “O LORD, who is like you? You deliver the weak from those too strong for them, the weak and needy from those who despoil them.”
11 Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me about things I do not know.
12 They repay me evil for good; my soul is forlorn.
13 But as for me, when they were sick, I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting. I prayed with head bowed on my bosom,
14 as though I grieved for a friend or a brother; I went about as one who laments for a mother, bowed down and in mourning.
15 But at my stumbling they gathered in glee, they gathered together against me; ruffians whom I did not know tore at me without ceasing;
16 they impiously mocked more and more, gnashing at me with their teeth.
17 How long, O LORD, will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages, my life from the lions!
18 Then I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you.
19 Do not let my treacherous enemies rejoice over me, or those who hate me without cause wink the eye.
20 For they do not speak peace, but they conceive deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.
21 They open wide their mouths against me; they say, “Aha, Aha, our eyes have seen it.”
22 You have seen, O LORD; do not be silent! O Lord, do not be far from me!
23 Wake up! Bestir yourself for my defense, for my cause, my God and my Lord!
24 Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to your righteousness, and do not let them rejoice over me.
25 Do not let them say to themselves, “Aha, we have our heart’s desire.” Do not let them say, “We have swallowed you up.”
26 Let all those who rejoice at my calamity be put to shame and confusion;
let those who exalt themselves against me be clothed with shame and dishonor.
27 Let those who desire my vindication shout for joy and be glad, and say evermore, “Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of his servant.”
28 Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all day long.
(NRSV)
There comes a time that we are so weary of doing battle against those who rise against us that we must turn to God to carry on the fight for us. We may face human adversaries who have reason to contend with us. Their reasons may not make any sense to us, which seems to be the case for the psalmist. The lack of understanding between us and them is often a key ingredient in a battle. We join a battle when we believe that our side is worth defending. We turn to God when we know that we need help from one who is mightier and has more stamina than we have left for the fight. We know that God will stand with us in steadfast love.
Besides the external battles we may face internal struggles. There are battles within as we face physical, psychological or spiritual adversities. We know what we want for ourselves even as we feel the tremendous pressure on body, mind and spirit to go the easy route. We find ourselves tempted to give in or give up in the face of any and all of the forces that pull us away from what we know is the right path. We turn to God for help and comfort in the battle for our lives against a variety of forces.
While God may rise up against our enemies from within or without, what we can count on is that God will be with us in every situation. To experience the presence of God renews our energy, reshapes our perspective and gives a peace we cannot get anywhere else. In God we find rest. The battles continue to rage around us and within us, somehow it seems a little less daunting, a little more hopeful when we are in the presence of God.
April 14, 2015
LCM
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