Friday, March 3, 2023

Today’s Scripture Reading 
Psalm 43

Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people; from those who are deceitful and unjust deliver me!

For you are the God in whom I take refuge; why have you cast me off? Why must I walk about mournfully because of the oppression of the enemy?

O send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling.

Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God.

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God. (NRSV)

Reflection

While the psalms are one of my favorite parts of the Bible, sometimes when I read them I feel like I’m eavesdropping. The person singing to God is going through a more horrendous time than I can imagine. The pressures of being king of Israel are something beyond my experience. (And when he rails about the treachery of everyone around him, I sometimes want to remind David, “Y’know, there are two sides to every story.”)

I cannot understand the pressures placed on David, but I can relate to his joy in imagining God’s protection. At least, I can relate a little. Can I trust in God with David’s level of devotion? When I face daily problems, do I give myself over completely like David? I would so love the realization of God’s favor and protection to flood through me, too. It doesn’t happen often enough, especially in winter, especially when I watch the news. I have interrogations with myself, asking why my soul is downhearted and why it has forgotten God’s promise.

And then this psalm presents the word I can’t do without, a word that sometimes gets neglected, a word that punches way above its weight class, a word that among all my gifts from God may be the greatest: Hope.

Prayer

Lord, my creator and sustainer, thank you for the hope you instill in me. Help me keep it burning, and help me see your light and your truth at all times. Amen.

Written by Jim Garner, Member of Fourth Presbyterian Church

Reflection and prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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