Living in the Spirit
August 2, 2023
Scripture Reading:
Psalm 17:1-7, 15
Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry;
give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit.
From you let my vindication come;
let your eyes see the right.
If you try my heart, if you visit me by night,
if you test me, you will find no wickedness in me;
my mouth does not transgress.
As for what others do, by the word of your lips
I have avoided the ways of the violent.
My steps have held fast to your paths;
my feet have not slipped.
I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me, hear my words.
Wondrously show your steadfast love,
O savior of those who seek refuge
from their adversaries at your right hand.
As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness;
when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness.
My Bible describes the above Psalm as Prayer for Deliverance from Persecutors. My first impression on reading it had nothing to do with persecution. It seemed more like an outline of how meticulously the writer obeyed God. However, in the third segment, we see a referral to seeking refuge from adversaries. What struck me, however, was the last line when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness. Is this the author’s acknowledgment that they were made in the image of God? Do we ever recognize that we were created in the image of God? What does that mean? What does being made in God’s likeness mean in our daily lives? Is this scripture saying that merely being made in the image of God means we possess all we need to face life’s challenges? If that is the case, then I can read this Psalm as a pep talk to oneself that also tells God we know God is in us and with us in all we do if we recognize and accept that likeness as the source of our actions.
Prayer: Lord, help me see you in all my actions, and help me be a conduit of your love. Amen.
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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.