Psalm 143 (NIV)
Lord, hear my prayer,
listen to my cry for mercy;
in your faithfulness and righteousness
come to my relief.
Do not bring your servant into judgment,
for no one living is righteous before you.
The enemy pursues me,
he crushes me to the ground;
he makes me dwell in the darkness
like those long dead.
So my spirit grows faint within me;
my heart within me is dismayed.
I remember the days of long ago;
I meditate on all your works
and consider what your hands have done.
I spread out my hands to you;
I thirst for you like a parched land.
Answer me quickly, Lord;
my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me
or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I entrust my life.
Rescue me from my enemies, Lord,
for I hide myself in you.
Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God;
may your good Spirit
lead me on level ground.
For your name’s sake, Lord, preserve my life;
in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.
In your unfailing love, silence my enemies;
destroy all my foes,
for I am your servant.
Devotion – Finding Level Ground
We are living through dark times. There is division, war, erosion of trust. A constant onslaught of personal and societal tragedies. When I check the news each morning, the lines from Psalm 143, “my spirit grows faint within me” and “my heart… is dismayed,” resonate deeply. I am at times tempted to respond with disengagement, to look away and retreat into my own bubble. This impulse is what I first thought of when I read “I hide myself in you.” Shutting down. Putting blinders on to focus on my individual relationship with God.
And yet the next line challenges us to resist the temptation to turn away: “teach me to do your will… lead me on level ground.” Finding level ground means not running from the darkness but courageously standing firm and facing it with renewed conviction, wrapped in the protection of God’s unfailing love.
A vital role for us all to play is staying civically engaged in protecting the democratic ideals our country was founded on. For me, another is seeing hope and joy in my children and teaching them to do better than the generations that came before – not just tolerating but actively affirming people from all walks of life. As Dr. Martin Luther King said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” It is up to each of us to do our part.
Prayer
Dear God, teach us to do your will, so that we might have the courage not to run away, but instead to stand on level ground bringing light in times of darkness and love to drive out hate. Amen.
Kate Edwards