Showing posts with label Psalm 90. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Psalm 90. Show all posts
Monday, November 27, 2023
Psalm Meditation 1224
¶First Sunday of Advent
¶December 3, 2023
¶Psalm 90
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+90&version=NRSVUE
(NRSV)
¶As a child, I thought anger was based in dislike, distaste, hate, all of those negative relationship markers. If someone was angry with me, it was best to avoid them so as not to give them any more reasons to dislike me more than they already did. I was not particularly aware of the concept of apology at the time I have conjured up in my memory. So, the best plan of action against anger was avoidance, and not a little fuming and pouting about the anger directed toward me.
¶As an adult, I have discovered that most, if not all, anger is based in fear. (It is a simplified way of dealing with emotions, that works for some of us.) When I am afraid a loved one is on the verge of doing something different, foolish or dangerous my first reaction is anger. When I am able to discern what it is that I am afraid of, I can let go of the anger and deal with the fear in a more helpful way.
¶The psalmist knows that God is a long time place of refuge from the hurts of daily living, and in this moment knows that things are not going according to plan. In that case, God has pushed us away in anger for some misdeed of ours, and we have to live with the knowledge that God, out of anger, will place limits on our lives, and we will be helpless to change that. Giving God the same emotional baggage that many of us carry is not a very helpful view of God’s stability among us. God does get angry, upset, irritated with us, but never to the point of pushing us away. God loves us beyond measure, simple as that.
¶November 27, 2023
¶LCM
Monday, November 16, 2020
Psalm Meditation 1066
Reign of Christ
November 22, 2020
Psalm 90
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You turn us back to dust, and say, “Turn back, you mortals.”
4 For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the night.
5 You sweep them away; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning;
6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.
7 For we are consumed by your anger; by your wrath we are overwhelmed.
8 You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your countenance.
9 For all our days pass away under your wrath; our years come to an end like a sigh.
10 The days of our life are seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong; even then their span is only toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.
11 Who considers the power of your anger? Your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you.
12 So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.
13 Turn, O Lord! How long? Have compassion on your servants!
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us, and as many years as we have seen evil.
16 Let your work be manifest to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands—O prosper the work of our hands!
(NRSV)
One of my mentors defined anger as ‘a boat floating on a sea of fear, realize what you are afraid of and you don’t have to be so angry.’ So what is God afraid of that needs to be expressed as divine wrath? One possibility is that God is afraid for us. There are a lot of ways to move away from God and they each have a consequences. We see the glittery temptation dangling in front of us and move toward it. God’s wrath is kindled when the temptation shows its true colors and begins to do damage to us. God reacts out of fear for our safety.
Some of us see God as angry and aloof as a default setting. God is always looking for reasons to be angry with us, and excuses to punish us. More accurately, God is looking for reasons to pass judgment on ‘those’ people, the ones who do all the things that we and God find annoying and sinful. Our task is to point out all the reasons that God is angry in order to force ‘them’ to do things the way they should; our way. God’s anger just happens to be directed at those with whom we disagree.
The wrath of God is directed toward anything that moves someone away from the divine presence. When we emphasize the finger wagging judgment of God we are more likely to push someone away than draw them back. It is when we meet saints and sinners with the love of God that people are drawn into the divine presence and the communion of saints. It is through compassion and steadfast love that we rejoice and prosper in the presence of God.
November 16, 2020
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Monday, August 13, 2018
Psalm Meditation 948
Proper 15
August 19, 2018
Psalm 90
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You turn us back to dust, and say, “Turn back, you mortals.”
4 For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the night.
5 You sweep them away; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning;
6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.
7 For we are consumed by your anger; by your wrath we are overwhelmed.
8 You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your countenance.
9 For all our days pass away under your wrath; our years come to an end like a sigh.
10 The days of our life are seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong; even then their span is only toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.
11 Who considers the power of your anger? Your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you.
12 So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.
13 Turn, O LORD! How long? Have compassion on your servants!
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us, and as many years as we have seen evil.
16 Let your work be manifest to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands—O prosper the work of our hands!
(NRSV)
As children we don’t understand the reasoning behind parental anger. There are times we are sure that anger is totally unreasonable and unjustified. “I was just …, how could anyone be upset with me for doing that? “ We might believe that our parents keep track of each slipup, mistake, etc. so that when we have gotten enough points against us we get punished for something that doesn’t even matter. In some cases we believe that we are being punished for having too much fun. Those old fuddy-duddy parents don’t remember what it was like to be our age and how much fun it was to do whatever we got punished for doing.
When we get to be adults, and perhaps parents ourselves, we see our past behavior in a different light. Some of the things that appeared to be pure fun have consequences that we never considered at the time. Some of the activities that seemed harmless are fraught with danger lurking just beneath the surface. One wrong move would have been enough to cause terrible and lasting damage to ourselves or one of our companions in a particular adventure. We realize that our parents were able to see things that we could not. We realize that what came out as anger was fear for our safety. We realize that what felt like punishment was discipline, teaching us with limited consequences that our actions matter. And it was done out of love for us.
We see God as angry with us when the consequences of our actions come crashing down on us. We can’t imagine why God is so mean and vindictive about so many small things. Several years ago I heard, ‘we are not so much punished for our sins as we are punished by our sins.’ God does not stand over us waiting for an excuse to zap us, or willy-nilly visit us with punishments, trials, and calamities. Sadly, we can be caught by the sins of others as we pay the price for their deeds. God is not out to get us. God loves us and wants what the psalmist wants, “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands—O prosper the work of our hands!
August 13, 2018
LCM
Proper 15
August 19, 2018
Psalm 90
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You turn us back to dust, and say, “Turn back, you mortals.”
4 For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the night.
5 You sweep them away; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning;
6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.
7 For we are consumed by your anger; by your wrath we are overwhelmed.
8 You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your countenance.
9 For all our days pass away under your wrath; our years come to an end like a sigh.
10 The days of our life are seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong; even then their span is only toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.
11 Who considers the power of your anger? Your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you.
12 So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.
13 Turn, O LORD! How long? Have compassion on your servants!
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us, and as many years as we have seen evil.
16 Let your work be manifest to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands—O prosper the work of our hands!
(NRSV)
As children we don’t understand the reasoning behind parental anger. There are times we are sure that anger is totally unreasonable and unjustified. “I was just …, how could anyone be upset with me for doing that? “ We might believe that our parents keep track of each slipup, mistake, etc. so that when we have gotten enough points against us we get punished for something that doesn’t even matter. In some cases we believe that we are being punished for having too much fun. Those old fuddy-duddy parents don’t remember what it was like to be our age and how much fun it was to do whatever we got punished for doing.
When we get to be adults, and perhaps parents ourselves, we see our past behavior in a different light. Some of the things that appeared to be pure fun have consequences that we never considered at the time. Some of the activities that seemed harmless are fraught with danger lurking just beneath the surface. One wrong move would have been enough to cause terrible and lasting damage to ourselves or one of our companions in a particular adventure. We realize that our parents were able to see things that we could not. We realize that what came out as anger was fear for our safety. We realize that what felt like punishment was discipline, teaching us with limited consequences that our actions matter. And it was done out of love for us.
We see God as angry with us when the consequences of our actions come crashing down on us. We can’t imagine why God is so mean and vindictive about so many small things. Several years ago I heard, ‘we are not so much punished for our sins as we are punished by our sins.’ God does not stand over us waiting for an excuse to zap us, or willy-nilly visit us with punishments, trials, and calamities. Sadly, we can be caught by the sins of others as we pay the price for their deeds. God is not out to get us. God loves us and wants what the psalmist wants, “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands—O prosper the work of our hands!
August 13, 2018
LCM
Monday, September 8, 2014
Psalm Meditation 743
Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 14, 2014
Psalm 90
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You turn us back to dust, and say, “Turn back, you mortals.”
4 For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the night.
5 You sweep them away; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning;
6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.
7 For we are consumed by your anger; by your wrath we are overwhelmed.
8 You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your countenance.
9 For all our days pass away under your wrath; our years come to an end like a sigh.
10 The days of our life are seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong;
even then their span is only toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.
11 Who considers the power of your anger? Your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you.
12 So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.
13 Turn, O LORD! How long? Have compassion on your servants!
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us, and as many years as we have seen evil.
16 Let your work be manifest to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands—O prosper the work of our hands!
(NRSV)
There is no way we can define who God is without using comparison. The only things to which we can compare God are things with which we are already familiar. For the psalmist, the most powerful person known would have been the king. Since the king was one to nurse grudges, to hold folks accountable for the smallest slight and to withhold favor for the littlest of reasons, there was no reason to think that God would treat us any other way. It is easy to imagine God sitting at a table with papers scattered across it, each one a catalog of the sins of a person or group who needed to be taught a lesson.
God is seen as angry, wrathful and judgmental, needing to be appeased for each little sin we have committed. When wars and disasters eat away at our population we assume that God is angry and that we need to do something to get back in God’s good graces. When we don’t figure out the right things to do to get back into God’s good graces, the anger hangs over us until we die. At worst it can even mean that a whole people dies out due to God’s wrathful vengeance.
At some point, it dawned on people that God is not as mean spirited as kings can be. Someone noticed that while a king would have had everyone killed, God continues to be present with us. Perhaps the love of God is even more steadfast than we can imagine. Perhaps God loves us more deeply than we can comprehend. Perhaps God can be angry with us because of the deep and abiding love God has for us. While there are still folks who believe that misfortune and calamity are caused by God there are many more who believe that in the midst of every part of life, good and bad, God is with us, loving us with a depth and breadth beyond our ability to comprehend.
September 8, 2014
LCM
Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 14, 2014
Psalm 90
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You turn us back to dust, and say, “Turn back, you mortals.”
4 For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the night.
5 You sweep them away; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning;
6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.
7 For we are consumed by your anger; by your wrath we are overwhelmed.
8 You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your countenance.
9 For all our days pass away under your wrath; our years come to an end like a sigh.
10 The days of our life are seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong;
even then their span is only toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.
11 Who considers the power of your anger? Your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you.
12 So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.
13 Turn, O LORD! How long? Have compassion on your servants!
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us, and as many years as we have seen evil.
16 Let your work be manifest to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands—O prosper the work of our hands!
(NRSV)
There is no way we can define who God is without using comparison. The only things to which we can compare God are things with which we are already familiar. For the psalmist, the most powerful person known would have been the king. Since the king was one to nurse grudges, to hold folks accountable for the smallest slight and to withhold favor for the littlest of reasons, there was no reason to think that God would treat us any other way. It is easy to imagine God sitting at a table with papers scattered across it, each one a catalog of the sins of a person or group who needed to be taught a lesson.
God is seen as angry, wrathful and judgmental, needing to be appeased for each little sin we have committed. When wars and disasters eat away at our population we assume that God is angry and that we need to do something to get back in God’s good graces. When we don’t figure out the right things to do to get back into God’s good graces, the anger hangs over us until we die. At worst it can even mean that a whole people dies out due to God’s wrathful vengeance.
At some point, it dawned on people that God is not as mean spirited as kings can be. Someone noticed that while a king would have had everyone killed, God continues to be present with us. Perhaps the love of God is even more steadfast than we can imagine. Perhaps God loves us more deeply than we can comprehend. Perhaps God can be angry with us because of the deep and abiding love God has for us. While there are still folks who believe that misfortune and calamity are caused by God there are many more who believe that in the midst of every part of life, good and bad, God is with us, loving us with a depth and breadth beyond our ability to comprehend.
September 8, 2014
LCM
Monday, June 17, 2013
Psalm Meditation 679
Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time
June 23, 2013
Psalm 90
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You turn us back to dust, and say, “Turn back, you mortals.”
4 For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the night.
5 You sweep them away; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning;
6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.
7 For we are consumed by your anger; by your wrath we are overwhelmed.
8 You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your countenance.
9 For all our days pass away under your wrath; our years come to an end like a sigh.
10 The days of our life are seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong;
even then their span is only toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.
11 Who considers the power of your anger? Your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you.
12 So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.
13 Turn, O LORD! How long? Have compassion on your servants!
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us, and as many years as we have seen evil.
16 Let your work be manifest to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands—O prosper the work of our hands!
(NRSV)
One of the worst parts about knowing that something is going to end is that we spend so much time worrying about when and how that might be that we forget to enjoy it as it happens. Those of us who worry too much about when and how are the ones who read the last couple of pages of a book to see how it is going to end. It lets us decide if we want to keep reading, it opens some of the secrets of the action. In one sense it lets us relax since we know how it is going to end. In another sense it takes some of the wonder and expectation out of it simply because we know too much about where it is going. Knowing that there will be an end also sets us up to be disappointed when we come to the place in which we ask the question, “is that all?”
One of the best parts about knowing that something is going to end is that it becomes very precious to us and we find joy in treasuring each moment. Eating an ice cream cone is a delicate balance between savoring each delicious taste and getting it all eaten before it melts away completely. If we eat too fast we take the risk of ‘brain freeze.’ If we eat too slow we run the risk of having it melt down to nothing without us. Done well, we can continue to savor the tastes and moments of that ice cream and cone even after it is actually finished.
With the psalmist, we have some idea that there is more to the story. We know that life is filled with moments of despair, illness, pain and any number of bad and terrible things. We also know that there are moments of deep and abiding joy, that there are relationships to treasure long after the day to day parts of them are past, that how we look at something can determine whether it is finally good or not. We know that God is the final victor without giving away all the surprises, even as we go through each of the moments that make up our lives.
June 17, 2013
Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time
June 23, 2013
Psalm 90
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You turn us back to dust, and say, “Turn back, you mortals.”
4 For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the night.
5 You sweep them away; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning;
6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.
7 For we are consumed by your anger; by your wrath we are overwhelmed.
8 You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your countenance.
9 For all our days pass away under your wrath; our years come to an end like a sigh.
10 The days of our life are seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong;
even then their span is only toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.
11 Who considers the power of your anger? Your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you.
12 So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.
13 Turn, O LORD! How long? Have compassion on your servants!
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us, and as many years as we have seen evil.
16 Let your work be manifest to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands—O prosper the work of our hands!
(NRSV)
One of the worst parts about knowing that something is going to end is that we spend so much time worrying about when and how that might be that we forget to enjoy it as it happens. Those of us who worry too much about when and how are the ones who read the last couple of pages of a book to see how it is going to end. It lets us decide if we want to keep reading, it opens some of the secrets of the action. In one sense it lets us relax since we know how it is going to end. In another sense it takes some of the wonder and expectation out of it simply because we know too much about where it is going. Knowing that there will be an end also sets us up to be disappointed when we come to the place in which we ask the question, “is that all?”
One of the best parts about knowing that something is going to end is that it becomes very precious to us and we find joy in treasuring each moment. Eating an ice cream cone is a delicate balance between savoring each delicious taste and getting it all eaten before it melts away completely. If we eat too fast we take the risk of ‘brain freeze.’ If we eat too slow we run the risk of having it melt down to nothing without us. Done well, we can continue to savor the tastes and moments of that ice cream and cone even after it is actually finished.
With the psalmist, we have some idea that there is more to the story. We know that life is filled with moments of despair, illness, pain and any number of bad and terrible things. We also know that there are moments of deep and abiding joy, that there are relationships to treasure long after the day to day parts of them are past, that how we look at something can determine whether it is finally good or not. We know that God is the final victor without giving away all the surprises, even as we go through each of the moments that make up our lives.
June 17, 2013
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