Friday, May 29, 2015

Today’s Reading  |  Psalm 27

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
     whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
     of whom shall I be afraid?

When evildoers assail me
     to devour my flesh—
my adversaries and foes—
     they shall stumble and fall.

Though an army encamp against me,
     my heart shall not fear;
though war rise up against me,
     yet I will be confident.

One thing I asked of the Lord,
     that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the Lord
     all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord,
     and to inquire in his temple.

For he will hide me in his shelter
     in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
     he will set me high on a rock.

Now my head is lifted up
     above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
     sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.

Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud,
     be gracious to me and answer me!
“Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!”
     Your face, Lord, do I seek.
     Do not hide your face from me.

Do not turn your servant away in anger,
     you who have been my help.
Do not cast me off, do not forsake me,
     O God of my salvation!
If my father and mother forsake me,
     the Lord will take me up.

Teach me your way, O Lord,
     and lead me on a level path
     because of my enemies.
Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,
     for false witnesses have risen against me,
     and they are breathing out violence.

I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord
     in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
     be strong, and let your heart take courage;
     wait for the Lord! (NRSV)

Reflection
David had a heart for God. He also had, in my perception, some major issues with fear. For years, when reading David’s words, “My enemies devour my flesh,” or “though an army encamp against me,” or “though war rise up against me,” I thought, “Really? Really, David?” In this psalm alone, he begins with fear of his enemies, praises God, and then closes with fear that God will reject him!

Now I can relate to David’s words by focusing on the fears and anxieties that can eat away at me, that literally tear at my spirit, threatening to consume me. What was David’s solution? He desired to live in the house of the Lord all the days of his life. The Gospel writers restate this advice with “Before you worry, seek the kingdom of God.” Even though I still struggle with David’s desire to have God “hide me in his shelter” or “conceal me under the cover of his tent,” I do agree with him that we can “see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”

To that end, I can live every day waiting for the Lord, being strong, and letting my heart take courage. Yes, David, I will wait for the Lord!

Prayer
Lord, help me to realize that my worry is just a selfish reaction to my inability to control the world. This is your creation, Lord. Help me dwell in your presence on this earth, nurturing a relationship with you that will increase forever. Amen.

Written by Katy Sinclair, Associate Director of Music for Children and Youth

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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