Psalm 43:1 (NRSV)
Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause
against an ungodly people;
from those who are deceitful and unjust,
deliver me!
Psalm 149:6-9 (NRSV)
Let the high praises of God be in their throats
and two-edged swords in their hands,
to execute vengeance on the nations
and punishment on the peoples,
to bind their kings with fetters
and their nobles with chains of iron,
to execute on them the judgment decreed.
This is glory for all his faithful ones.
Psalm 31:14-16 (NSRV)
But I trust in you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
My times are in your hand;
deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.
Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your steadfast love.
Psalm 143:9-11 (NRSV)
Save me, O Lord, from my enemies;
I have fled to you for refuge.
Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
Let your good spirit lead me
on a level path.
For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life.
In your righteousness bring me out of trouble.
Devotion “Where Are You?”
Tomorrow is Palm Sunday, beginning the last week of Lent…perhaps the most significant week in history. The week of fulfilled prophesies, including Jesus’ rising from the dead. I was struck how each Psalm in today’s lectionary reads as a plea to protect: “vindicate me”; “I seek refuge”; “Be gracious to me, for I am in distress”; “Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies!”; “…O Lord, preserve my life! In thy righteousness bring me out of trouble!” There are also pleas to go aftertheir enemies, “I have been faithful,” go after the bad guys, the unfaithful, the non-believers; those that did not make time for you, as “I always have.” The passages read as “we had a deal, where are you?” Of course, it’s not that simple.
Living simply is not enough; making room for God is not enough; these are first steps to being committed to our beliefs and faith. God’s promise to us is not to protect us from adversity but provide us with the strength to deal with the adversity that comes our way, as it surely will. Even Jesus struggled with this dilemma: “Father, why hast thou forsaken me” (Matthew 27:46). Perhaps adversity is an unintended consequence of our cluttered lives, making room for God is making time for accepting God’s grace every day, knowing it will carry us through. Making room for God is making time to express gratitude for the forgiveness of our sins.
The question to God isn’t “where are you?”, but “where am I?”
Prayer
Dear Lord, tomorrow begins Holy Week, a time of joy turned to anguish, a time to declutter our minds and hearts. Help me make more room for you; I come before you with a heart full of gratitude and praise. Thank you for your grace, abundant love, mercy, and the countless blessings you pour into my life. For every moment of joy, every prayer answered, and even for the challenges that teach me and draw me closer to you, I simply give thanks. Amen.
Phil Cooke