Showing posts with label Psalm 85. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Psalm 85. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 13, 2023
Psalm Meditation 1213
¶Proper 19
¶September,17 2023
¶Psalm 85
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+85&version=NRSVUE
(NRSV)
¶The people we love and care for can annoy and upset us to the point that we have to take some time away from them. It might be a few minutes and sometimes a few days. This does not mean we love these people any less, it means that we are close enough to each other that we know what buttons to push to get a serious reaction from the other. At best, taking time apart reminds us what it is we love about the other and brings us back together with a renewed intention to refrain from pushing the annoyance buttons, at least on purpose. At worst we discover that there is not enough energy from one or both of us to sustain our relationship.
¶The psalmist is convinced that God has reached the point at which there is no more energy available to be with the people previously chosen as special and set apart. This psalm sets out to convince God that there is a relationship worth salvaging, as well as convincing us that God is the source of our peace and salvation for enough us to make the effort on God’s part worth the time and energy required to love us as steadfastly as previous generations have been loved and cared for by God.
¶According to God, the steadfast love in which we are held does not waver or disintegrate at the slightest stumble on our part. And God is left to wonder why we keep asking to be let back into God’s heart and good graces when we have never been anywhere else. God is always ready to scoop us up as a loving parent scoops up a frightened, injured child to offer comfort, safety, and calm in a gentle embrace. God loves us, we can relax and be at peace.
¶September 13, 2023
¶LCM
Monday, April 20, 2020
Psalm Meditation 1036
Third Sunday of Easter
April 26, 2020
Psalm 85
1 Lord, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of your people; you pardoned all their sin. Selah
3 You withdrew all your wrath; you turned from your hot anger.
4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us.
5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
6 Will you not revive us again, so that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation.
8 Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
9 Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.
10 Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.
12 The Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness will go before him, and will make a path for his steps.
(NRSV)
These are anxious times in which we live and it is tempting to give credit and blame for all this to someone. It must be a punishment from God for all the terrible things those people over there have been doing for all these years. All of us good people are simply caught in the cross-fire between God and the people at fault. There is a long list of biblical warrant for this thinking. When things go bad for us, God is angry with us for something. When things go well for us, God is rewarding us for being such good boys and girls. However, the arc of Scripture has another view that fits more comfortably.
God loves us: three words, nine letters and two spaces. There simple words have taken volumes to explain and illustrate. We are so used to having to earn the love and respect of those around us that we can’t quite grasp that God acts out of love for us. “Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.” God is not out to get us, to punish us for all the sins and wickedness of our lives. God chooses to love us and to be a source of peace for us.
We can look for, and find, the angry, vindictive God in Scripture. We can look for, and find, the God who loves us and offers us peace just as easily. The psalmist offers an image of God as one who loves us, revives us, and offers us peace in every time. Yes, there is judgment, however that leads to peace. Years ago I heard the phrase, ‘the Bible is a mirror,’ and at my best I remember that we find what we seek when we look into the Bible. When we look to condemn or be condemned, we can find God’s judgment. When we seek grace, mercy, and peace we find that. It is not that God gives us what we want and need so much as we see what we expect to see because God is bigger and broader than we can imagine.
April 20, 2020
LCM
Third Sunday of Easter
April 26, 2020
Psalm 85
1 Lord, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of your people; you pardoned all their sin. Selah
3 You withdrew all your wrath; you turned from your hot anger.
4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us.
5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
6 Will you not revive us again, so that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation.
8 Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
9 Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.
10 Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.
12 The Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness will go before him, and will make a path for his steps.
(NRSV)
These are anxious times in which we live and it is tempting to give credit and blame for all this to someone. It must be a punishment from God for all the terrible things those people over there have been doing for all these years. All of us good people are simply caught in the cross-fire between God and the people at fault. There is a long list of biblical warrant for this thinking. When things go bad for us, God is angry with us for something. When things go well for us, God is rewarding us for being such good boys and girls. However, the arc of Scripture has another view that fits more comfortably.
God loves us: three words, nine letters and two spaces. There simple words have taken volumes to explain and illustrate. We are so used to having to earn the love and respect of those around us that we can’t quite grasp that God acts out of love for us. “Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.” God is not out to get us, to punish us for all the sins and wickedness of our lives. God chooses to love us and to be a source of peace for us.
We can look for, and find, the angry, vindictive God in Scripture. We can look for, and find, the God who loves us and offers us peace just as easily. The psalmist offers an image of God as one who loves us, revives us, and offers us peace in every time. Yes, there is judgment, however that leads to peace. Years ago I heard the phrase, ‘the Bible is a mirror,’ and at my best I remember that we find what we seek when we look into the Bible. When we look to condemn or be condemned, we can find God’s judgment. When we seek grace, mercy, and peace we find that. It is not that God gives us what we want and need so much as we see what we expect to see because God is bigger and broader than we can imagine.
April 20, 2020
LCM
Monday, April 3, 2017
Psalm Meditation 877
Palm/Passion Sunday
April 9, 2017
Psalm 85
1 LORD, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of your people; you pardoned all their sin. Selah
3 You withdrew all your wrath; you turned from your hot anger.
4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us.
5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
6 Will you not revive us again, so that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.
8 Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
9 Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.
10 Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.
12 The LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness will go before him, and will make a path for his steps.
(NRSV)
“God has no grandchildren.” It means that each generation accepts the personal relationship God offers to us. We are children of God. We cannot depend only on the relationship between our parents and God, we need to form that relationship ourselves. All that to say that it appears the psalmist is calling on God to honor the relationship with a previous generation for the sake of the current one. As you did all these wonderful things for our parents, we are ready for you to do all those same things for us. The psalmist’s generation opens the bargaining by asking God to do wonderful things. Once that happens we will be a thankful people.
While it is true that God is always the first actor, there is a sense here that the people are making the first move by asking that God restore and revive them before they turn to God in faithfulness and awe. It is always tempting to make demands on God as if we are the ones opening the negotiations. ‘God, you do this for me and I will do this in return.’ I am not sure what kind of counter offer we can make in the event that God decides not to do as we ask. One assumption is that if God doesn’t act according to our instructions there must not be a God. Who is most damaged by that assumption?
Yes, this is an unusually bleak reading of the psalm. Our requests for God’s attention are not bargaining chips so much as acknowledgements that we have wandered off and now want to be drawn back into a heartfelt, heart changing relationship with God. We are not in a position of power so that we can negotiate, we are in a position of desire. Our desire is to have the kind of relationship with God that we have seen from previous generations. What we don’t know is that as we come into the presence of God knowing that something is missing we are repeating the process of each generation before. God is waiting to save us, love us, and give us peace.
April 3, 2017
LCM
Palm/Passion Sunday
April 9, 2017
Psalm 85
1 LORD, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of your people; you pardoned all their sin. Selah
3 You withdrew all your wrath; you turned from your hot anger.
4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us.
5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
6 Will you not revive us again, so that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.
8 Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
9 Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.
10 Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.
12 The LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness will go before him, and will make a path for his steps.
(NRSV)
“God has no grandchildren.” It means that each generation accepts the personal relationship God offers to us. We are children of God. We cannot depend only on the relationship between our parents and God, we need to form that relationship ourselves. All that to say that it appears the psalmist is calling on God to honor the relationship with a previous generation for the sake of the current one. As you did all these wonderful things for our parents, we are ready for you to do all those same things for us. The psalmist’s generation opens the bargaining by asking God to do wonderful things. Once that happens we will be a thankful people.
While it is true that God is always the first actor, there is a sense here that the people are making the first move by asking that God restore and revive them before they turn to God in faithfulness and awe. It is always tempting to make demands on God as if we are the ones opening the negotiations. ‘God, you do this for me and I will do this in return.’ I am not sure what kind of counter offer we can make in the event that God decides not to do as we ask. One assumption is that if God doesn’t act according to our instructions there must not be a God. Who is most damaged by that assumption?
Yes, this is an unusually bleak reading of the psalm. Our requests for God’s attention are not bargaining chips so much as acknowledgements that we have wandered off and now want to be drawn back into a heartfelt, heart changing relationship with God. We are not in a position of power so that we can negotiate, we are in a position of desire. Our desire is to have the kind of relationship with God that we have seen from previous generations. What we don’t know is that as we come into the presence of God knowing that something is missing we are repeating the process of each generation before. God is waiting to save us, love us, and give us peace.
April 3, 2017
LCM
Monday, April 6, 2015
Psalm Meditation 773
Second Sunday of Easter
April 12, 2015
Psalm 85
1 LORD, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of your people; you pardoned all their sin. Selah
3 You withdrew all your wrath; you turned from your hot anger.
4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us.
5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
6 Will you not revive us again, so that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.
8 Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
9 Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.
10 Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.
12 The LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness will go before him, and will make a path for his steps.
(NRSV)
We want to know that God is in charge in such a way that both good things and bad things are in the hands of God. At the same time we want to know that our behavior influences how God acts toward us. If we are good we get good things from God, if we are bad God turns from us and either leaves us unprotected or sends punishment our way. We want to know that God behaves by the same rules that we follow. We want to know that a set of actions leads to the same reaction in every case. If things are going well God is with us and if things are going poorly God is angry with us.
The psalmist follows this thought process. Things used to go well for us so God must have been with us in a good way. Now that we are going through a rough patch we must have done something to anger God. If we promise to be good then God will be good to us again and all will be well between us. Things will be going so well that we will notice the change immediately.
What if God loves us no matter what? When good things are happening God loves us beyond measure and stands with us in these good times. When bad things are happening God loves us beyond measure and stands with us in these bad times. No matter what God loves us. There is nothing we can do to make God love us more and nothing will make God loves us less. We can change the distance between us in our relationship with God, however we cannot change the love God has for us.
April 6, 2015
LCM
Second Sunday of Easter
April 12, 2015
Psalm 85
1 LORD, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of your people; you pardoned all their sin. Selah
3 You withdrew all your wrath; you turned from your hot anger.
4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us.
5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
6 Will you not revive us again, so that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.
8 Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
9 Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.
10 Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.
12 The LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness will go before him, and will make a path for his steps.
(NRSV)
We want to know that God is in charge in such a way that both good things and bad things are in the hands of God. At the same time we want to know that our behavior influences how God acts toward us. If we are good we get good things from God, if we are bad God turns from us and either leaves us unprotected or sends punishment our way. We want to know that God behaves by the same rules that we follow. We want to know that a set of actions leads to the same reaction in every case. If things are going well God is with us and if things are going poorly God is angry with us.
The psalmist follows this thought process. Things used to go well for us so God must have been with us in a good way. Now that we are going through a rough patch we must have done something to anger God. If we promise to be good then God will be good to us again and all will be well between us. Things will be going so well that we will notice the change immediately.
What if God loves us no matter what? When good things are happening God loves us beyond measure and stands with us in these good times. When bad things are happening God loves us beyond measure and stands with us in these bad times. No matter what God loves us. There is nothing we can do to make God love us more and nothing will make God loves us less. We can change the distance between us in our relationship with God, however we cannot change the love God has for us.
April 6, 2015
LCM
Monday, December 24, 2012
Psalm Meditation 654
First Sunday After Christmas
December 30, 2012
Psalm 85
1 Lord, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of your people; you pardoned all their sin. (Selah)
3 You withdrew all your wrath; you turned from your hot anger.
4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us.
5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
6 Will you not revive us again, so that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.
8 Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
9 Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.
10 Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.
12 The LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness will go before him, and will make a path for his steps.
(NRSV)
God speaks peace to those who are faithful, whose hearts turn to God. That raised the question as to which comes first, inner peace or world peace. Today, I am inclined to believe that inner peace has to come first. Once we put away our inclination toward satisfying our own needs and wants before we consider the needs and wants of others we will find an inner peace and contentment that will make a more universal peace possible. This is the kind of peace that God speaks to the hearts of faithful people in countless ways and in a wide variety of places.
There is also the peace that is lack of war; a peace that is usually ordered from the top down. The Pax Romana, The Roman Peace, came about when the Romans had conquered all the people who surrounded them and enforced a lack of war among the folks over whom they ruled. This peace is full of discontent as folks struggle under the restraints forced upon them by the very folks who had taken their freedom.
Inner peace, a sense of contentment and a willingness to share what we have with others, leads us into ever deepening relationships with God and others. External peace, an absence of conflict, is often enforced by top down power structures that lead to conflicts as we struggle to gain or regain our own power and control.
The peace that God offers brings us to a sense of wholeness within ourselves and our communities. It takes effort to achieve and maintain a sense of peace within ourselves. It is an ongoing process of tuning our hearts to God, opening ourselves to the hurts and hopes of others and giving and receiving with gratitude and grace.
December 24, 2012
First Sunday After Christmas
December 30, 2012
Psalm 85
1 Lord, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of your people; you pardoned all their sin. (Selah)
3 You withdrew all your wrath; you turned from your hot anger.
4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us.
5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
6 Will you not revive us again, so that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.
8 Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
9 Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.
10 Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.
12 The LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness will go before him, and will make a path for his steps.
(NRSV)
God speaks peace to those who are faithful, whose hearts turn to God. That raised the question as to which comes first, inner peace or world peace. Today, I am inclined to believe that inner peace has to come first. Once we put away our inclination toward satisfying our own needs and wants before we consider the needs and wants of others we will find an inner peace and contentment that will make a more universal peace possible. This is the kind of peace that God speaks to the hearts of faithful people in countless ways and in a wide variety of places.
There is also the peace that is lack of war; a peace that is usually ordered from the top down. The Pax Romana, The Roman Peace, came about when the Romans had conquered all the people who surrounded them and enforced a lack of war among the folks over whom they ruled. This peace is full of discontent as folks struggle under the restraints forced upon them by the very folks who had taken their freedom.
Inner peace, a sense of contentment and a willingness to share what we have with others, leads us into ever deepening relationships with God and others. External peace, an absence of conflict, is often enforced by top down power structures that lead to conflicts as we struggle to gain or regain our own power and control.
The peace that God offers brings us to a sense of wholeness within ourselves and our communities. It takes effort to achieve and maintain a sense of peace within ourselves. It is an ongoing process of tuning our hearts to God, opening ourselves to the hurts and hopes of others and giving and receiving with gratitude and grace.
December 24, 2012
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