Showing posts with label Psalm 6. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Psalm 6. Show all posts
Monday, May 5, 2025
Psalm Meditation 1299
¶Fourth Sunday of Easter
¶May 11, 2025
¶Psalm 6
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%206&version=NRSVUE
¶Many of us have an image of God as angry and judgmental; waiting for us to mess up so that we can be punished for our faults and failings. When bad things happen it is because we did something to deserve it. God could not possibly want to give us good things on a regular basis so when things are going too well we can’t believe that it will last beyond a few hours, a few days at most. The psalmist can’t name any sin committed, however when things start going badly it must be that God is angry for some reason that deserves punishment.
¶We like to know that creation is well ordered and well oiled and that there is a cause and effect for everything that happens. Some people will trace cause and effect all the way back to God. If something happens and there is a harmful consequence to it, it has to be God who caused it. It can’t possibly be that people have moments of thoughtlessness or anger that spills into the lives of folks who had no connection to the original action. It isn’t right, and it isn’t fair, and sometimes bad things simply happen.
¶YHWH is God of steadfast love and mercy. When we are hurt and heartbroken God is with us in the midst of the situation offering us a loving presence. Even if God is the source of our pain, God loves us and does not abandon us. Especially when we feel helpless, hopeless, and worthless God is present as a source of gracious, steadfast love and mercy.
¶May 5, 2025
¶LCM
Tuesday, March 8, 2022
Psalm Meditation 1134
¶Second Sunday in Lent
¶March 13, 2022
¶Psalm 6
1 O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger, or discipline me in your wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are shaking with terror.
3 My soul also is struck with terror, while you, O LORD—how long?
4 Turn, O LORD, save my life; deliver me for the sake of your steadfast love.
5 For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who can give you praise?
6 I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.
7 My eyes waste away because of grief; they grow weak because of all my foes.
8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.
9 The LORD has heard my supplication; the LORD accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and struck with terror; they shall turn back, and in a moment be put to shame.
(NRSV)
¶It has been a long two years, and the stresses have not subsided; only changed faces. We have had our fearsome encounters with Covid 19, we have dealt with differing opinions and practices on how to deal with this disease. We have angered each other as we were too cautious or too cavalier to suit each other. We have been vaccinated and boosted or refused to have anything to do with a vaccine. As we have turned a corner on the disease front, we face the prospect of a war that will do no one any good in the long run, except for any lessons we may learn for the future.
¶The psalmist has reached a breaking point. Terror of body and soul leads to a leap of faith into the arms of God, depending on the steadfastness of God’s love to be the source of deliverance from all that threatens body and soul. The belief of the system is that death is final, and keeps one from being able to remember and praise God, so there is a touch of bargaining/bribery here to convince God to grant deliverance from death and Sheol. And yet, at this breaking point the psalmist knows that God has heard and accepted this prayer for deliverance.
¶We each know or know of someone who has died of Covid. We may know or know of someone with relatives or other connection to Ukraine or Russia. I believe that God does not choose sides, especially based on politics and geography. God loves each of us and stands ready to catch us when we make that leap toward deliverance. I also believe that God will catch us whether we live or die, whether we are on the right or the wrong side of history, whether we love God or not. I believe God comforts us in our times of terror out of a steadfast and abiding love for each of us.
¶March 8, 2022
¶LCM
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Psalm Meditation 844
Proper 16
August 21, 2016
Psalm 6
1 O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger, or discipline me in your wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are shaking with terror.
3 My soul also is struck with terror, while you, O LORD—how long?
4 Turn, O LORD, save my life; deliver me for the sake of your steadfast love.
5 For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who can give you praise?
6 I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.
7 My eyes waste away because of grief; they grow weak because of all my foes.
8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.
9 The LORD has heard my supplication; the LORD accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and struck with terror; they shall turn back, and in a moment be put to shame.
(NRSV)
One of the most memorable statements I have heard about God is, “If God can’t handle your anger, then why do you have it?” It has freed me to yell at God, to vent my anger, to things off my chest in a way that is more helpful than hurtful. Instead of throwing things like dishes or punches we can stand up and rail against God for the seeming unfairness of the life we are living and the lives of those around us. The psalmist is also free to complain to God about an illness or other calamity of life.
A seminary classmate reminded us, in a discussion of the psalms, that not all of our enemies are other people. Especially in a time in which disease and illness was thought to be caused by evil spirits and demons, enemies lurked in seen and unseen spaces of our lives. The issue is not who it is acting in the psalmist’s life so much as why God has not stepped in to end the situation at hand. Grief and pain, whatever the cause, is a drain on body, mind and spirit. If only God would step in everything would be alright and the psalmist could return to the worship and praise of God.
Finally, the psalmist realizes that God has heard this prayer for relief and it will come. In God’s good time something will happen that will put an end to this suffering and all will be well with the psalmist. We too receive the assurance that God has heard us and is at work in our lives. Whether we have lashed out in anger or used a calmer tone we will know that God is with us in some way.
August 16, 2016
LCM
Proper 16
August 21, 2016
Psalm 6
1 O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger, or discipline me in your wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are shaking with terror.
3 My soul also is struck with terror, while you, O LORD—how long?
4 Turn, O LORD, save my life; deliver me for the sake of your steadfast love.
5 For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who can give you praise?
6 I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.
7 My eyes waste away because of grief; they grow weak because of all my foes.
8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.
9 The LORD has heard my supplication; the LORD accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and struck with terror; they shall turn back, and in a moment be put to shame.
(NRSV)
One of the most memorable statements I have heard about God is, “If God can’t handle your anger, then why do you have it?” It has freed me to yell at God, to vent my anger, to things off my chest in a way that is more helpful than hurtful. Instead of throwing things like dishes or punches we can stand up and rail against God for the seeming unfairness of the life we are living and the lives of those around us. The psalmist is also free to complain to God about an illness or other calamity of life.
A seminary classmate reminded us, in a discussion of the psalms, that not all of our enemies are other people. Especially in a time in which disease and illness was thought to be caused by evil spirits and demons, enemies lurked in seen and unseen spaces of our lives. The issue is not who it is acting in the psalmist’s life so much as why God has not stepped in to end the situation at hand. Grief and pain, whatever the cause, is a drain on body, mind and spirit. If only God would step in everything would be alright and the psalmist could return to the worship and praise of God.
Finally, the psalmist realizes that God has heard this prayer for relief and it will come. In God’s good time something will happen that will put an end to this suffering and all will be well with the psalmist. We too receive the assurance that God has heard us and is at work in our lives. Whether we have lashed out in anger or used a calmer tone we will know that God is with us in some way.
August 16, 2016
LCM
Monday, February 3, 2014
Psalm Meditation 712
Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
February 9, 2014
Psalm 6
1 O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger, or discipline me in your wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are shaking with terror.
3 My soul also is struck with terror, while you, O LORD—how long?
4 Turn, O LORD, save my life; deliver me for the sake of your steadfast love.
5 For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who can give you praise?
6 I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.
7 My eyes waste away because of grief; they grow weak because of all my foes.
8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.
9 The LORD has heard my supplication; the LORD accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and struck with terror; they shall turn back, and in a moment be put to shame.
(NRSV)
Oh, to have that much faith to be able to end a prayer of lament with this kind of statement of trust in God. I know there are such people who can pray and know immediately that their prayer has been answered, only because I have read about them. The rest of us content ourselves with praying multiple times for the same thing over the span of moments or years. At some point the assurance that prayer has been answered and that God is present comes to us in some form. The question often is, how do I keep my faith while I wait for that assurance?
One way is by finding psalms like this and using them as a part of our prayer life. Sometimes, praying the psalms is enough to boost our faith to where we begin to hear the words as our own as well as those of the psalmist. After having said something over and over again we begin to claim it as our own, incorporate it into our lives and allow it to change us. This doesn’t mean that we will get to a place in our faith in which we instantly know that we are heard and loved by God; it doesn’t mean we won’t. For most of us, we will get to where we know, finally, that God is with us.
I am convinced that God hears us and is present with us in all times, places and situations. I know that we are not always in a position to experience the presence of God in our lives. If we can look right at a physical object and not see it, we can certainly miss the presence of God in our lives. Fortunately, many of us have folks who will help us find lost objects and who will help us see, feel, know and experience the presence of God in and around us. We will be able to join the psalmist in saying, “The LORD has heard my supplication; the LORD accepts my prayer.”
February 3, 2014
Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
February 9, 2014
Psalm 6
1 O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger, or discipline me in your wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are shaking with terror.
3 My soul also is struck with terror, while you, O LORD—how long?
4 Turn, O LORD, save my life; deliver me for the sake of your steadfast love.
5 For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who can give you praise?
6 I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.
7 My eyes waste away because of grief; they grow weak because of all my foes.
8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.
9 The LORD has heard my supplication; the LORD accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and struck with terror; they shall turn back, and in a moment be put to shame.
(NRSV)
Oh, to have that much faith to be able to end a prayer of lament with this kind of statement of trust in God. I know there are such people who can pray and know immediately that their prayer has been answered, only because I have read about them. The rest of us content ourselves with praying multiple times for the same thing over the span of moments or years. At some point the assurance that prayer has been answered and that God is present comes to us in some form. The question often is, how do I keep my faith while I wait for that assurance?
One way is by finding psalms like this and using them as a part of our prayer life. Sometimes, praying the psalms is enough to boost our faith to where we begin to hear the words as our own as well as those of the psalmist. After having said something over and over again we begin to claim it as our own, incorporate it into our lives and allow it to change us. This doesn’t mean that we will get to a place in our faith in which we instantly know that we are heard and loved by God; it doesn’t mean we won’t. For most of us, we will get to where we know, finally, that God is with us.
I am convinced that God hears us and is present with us in all times, places and situations. I know that we are not always in a position to experience the presence of God in our lives. If we can look right at a physical object and not see it, we can certainly miss the presence of God in our lives. Fortunately, many of us have folks who will help us find lost objects and who will help us see, feel, know and experience the presence of God in and around us. We will be able to join the psalmist in saying, “The LORD has heard my supplication; the LORD accepts my prayer.”
February 3, 2014
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