Living in the Spirit
June 13, 2018
Scripture Reading: Psalm 20
The Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
The name of the God of Jacob protect you!
May he send you help from the sanctuary,
and give you support from Zion.
Now I know that the Lord will help his anointed;
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with mighty victories by his right hand.
Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses,
but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God.
They will collapse and fall,
but we shall rise and stand upright. –Psalm 20:1-2,6-6
My book club is currently reading Ken Follett’s book World without End. It is historical fiction based on the happenings in England and Europe around the 14th century. I have not quite finished it, but one thing stands out in its presentation: some things never change. Greed is rampant, and power is addictive whether in church or business or government. There still are a few faithful folks, who keep progress in motion.
The story of God from Genesis forward makes us aware of our free will to chose how we live and the choices that lead to shalom–peace, harmony, wholeness in life when we claim love as our driving force. I think that may be what the Psalmist is trying to address in the above scripture. I must admit it makes me uncomfortable when humans always need to establish winners and losers. We always need to be just a little better than someone to feel that wholeness which was gifted to us by God in our very creation. We can choose to be fully the person God created us to be while celebrating the gifts of others.
I do think God delights in everything his children do just like any parent when a child takes his first step, ties her shoes, or reads a book and that is enough to anchor the self-worth of each.
I am also confident that the Lord does answer us in the day of trouble.
Prayer: Parent of all, expand our courage to trust enough not to rely on judging ourselves one against the other but in our ability to love one another into the Oneness to which you call us. Amen.