Living in the Spirit
July 16, 2014
Scripture Reading: Psalm 139
O that you would kill the wicked, O God,
and that the bloodthirsty would depart from me—
those who speak of you maliciously,
and lift themselves up against you for evil!
Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
I hate them with perfect hatred;
I count them my enemies. — Matthew 11:19-22
Memorization is not in vogue as a learning tool in our digital society today, but if ever there was a prayer that cries out to be memorized and repeated daily, it is Psalm 139. It gives me great comfort when I feel alone or disheartened, it urged me to seek forgiveness when I have moved away from God, and it even helps me deal with others whom I perceive to be enemies of God. This last one may be the most important as we work for wholeness, oneness, and justice. I think it is interesting that the lectionary does not include verses 13-22, because I think the Psalmist knows humans very well and these verses deal with the shadow side of our faith. So, just for today, I have stepped out of the lectionary and into that shadow.
Hate by definition is intense hostility toward an object (as an individual) that has frustrated the release of an inner tension (as of a biological nature)* I was sitting outside in our glider under a shade tree with my Mom when my brother brought her the mail that had just been delivered. She opened and read a letter from someone in her family and with tears in her eyes she said out loud, “God damn them.” It was a prayer, and I knew she meant it. I do not to this day remember what the letter said or who “them” were. I was so shocked at hearing my mother use swear words, I lost the rest of the story. She knew her intense, immediate response had been something she later needed to address with her children and she did. We talked about the existence of evil in the world and the harm that it can do. We talked about the fact that Jesus was the only one who could pass final judgment on anyone and that we never, ever have full knowledge about anyone, but God does. And she told us that when we are overcome with hate we need to share that with God as God is the only one that can mitigate our hatred and turn it into love and ultimately the only one whose love will deal with the object of our hatred.
Prayer: Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my thoughts.
See if there is any wicked way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting. Amen. –Psalm 139:23-24
* http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/Hate
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.