In God’s Presence

school-on-the-prarieLiving in the Spirit
November 2, 2016

Scripture Reading: Psalm 122

I was glad when they said to me,
‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
‘May they prosper who love you.
Peace be within your walls,
and security within your towers.’
For the sake of my relatives and friends
I will say, ‘Peace be within you.’
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your good. –Psalm 122:1, 6-9

Peace begins with entering the presence of God and endures with living in God’s presence. The Homestead Act as applied in Oklahoma allotted land based on who could get to it first and claim the stake that described the parcel. The plots were established in 160-acre lots of four to form a square mile. Every three miles a corner of one of the lots was set aside designated for a public school. My dad attended the school at the edge of my grandmother’s farm. He had a short walk. These buildings were also often used as churches on Sunday. While the school had long ago consolidated into a larger district, the building was my first church. I was very young, the church closed when I was five, and I still have fond memories of it. One stands out. Bible school held every summer was the highlight of my life. When we arrived in good weather, we played on the lawn until a hand bell rung and then we lined up with the youngest first and marched into the building singing I was Glad when the Said Unto Me Let Us Go into the House of the Lord. Even as a preschooler those words centered me in the love of God and they still do today.

The verse is a fitting introduction to a scripture encouraging us to pray for peace. With all the hubbub of the election, we sometimes lose sight of whose we are. Robert Browning may have said it best God’s in His heaven—All’s right with the world!* I prefer Jesus’ words at John 16:33, I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!’

Prayer: Lord, hold us in your peace as we go about doing your bidding to become one. Amen.

*From the poem Pippa’s Song by Robert Browning see at http://www.potw.org/archive/potw48.html

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.