Epiphany 4
Worship
Aids To The Psalms
In you, O Lord, I take my refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
incline your ear to me and save me.
Be to me a rock of refuge,
a strong fortress, to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and cruel.
For you, O Lord, are my hope,
my trust, O Lord, from my youth.
Upon you I have learned from my birth;
it was you who took me from my mother's womb.
My praise is continually of you.
Alternate Image
The Singer's voice wavers with age as she sings her song of praise. She thanks God for allowing her to live safety in a fortress all her life. God has been rock steady for her all life long. Her fortress has been a mobile fortress for she has been an adventuress. She has journeyed over the face of the earth fighting injustice, working against inequities, defending the poor, while following God's direction. Her fortress has been her faith. She sings her thanks and praise for the security God has offered her while living out her faith and being a rock for others. The Singer has been badgered all her life by those who would steal her heritage, her faith from her. And now, late in life, there is an old biddy here still trying to snatch her legacy from her. She expresses her hope. Hope that has been with her since her umbilical cord was cut. With wavering firmness she continues her lifelong song of praise.
Reflection
How long does God's grace last? For those who come late to faith, grace may seem a short journey. The latecomers have less to look back on and savor than those whose faith has been life long. I am often amazed by those who look with envy at the lives of unbelievers. They indicate they think the faithless are having more fun with life than the faithful. Strange thinking. Is it more fun to get drunk and suffer a hangover than to abstain or drink moderately? Is it better to toil like one possessed for life's toys and die of a heart attack realizing that your toil has only been for those who fail to appreciate your efforts? Is one happier in living just for a moment for selfish desire than to feel God's providence governing your life? If 'the life of the faithless seems better then reject your faith if you can. God does not call us to misery or tell us not to enjoy life. The Singer looks back happily at a life that has been sustained by faith; a superior life to that of the unbeliever who would still like to steal her hope and joy from her. But she is secure in God's care. We are secure in the knowledge that God's grace is eternal and it is the greatest of life's gifts.
let me never be put to shame.
In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
incline your ear to me and save me.
Be to me a rock of refuge,
a strong fortress, to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and cruel.
For you, O Lord, are my hope,
my trust, O Lord, from my youth.
Upon you I have learned from my birth;
it was you who took me from my mother's womb.
My praise is continually of you.
Alternate Image
The Singer's voice wavers with age as she sings her song of praise. She thanks God for allowing her to live safety in a fortress all her life. God has been rock steady for her all life long. Her fortress has been a mobile fortress for she has been an adventuress. She has journeyed over the face of the earth fighting injustice, working against inequities, defending the poor, while following God's direction. Her fortress has been her faith. She sings her thanks and praise for the security God has offered her while living out her faith and being a rock for others. The Singer has been badgered all her life by those who would steal her heritage, her faith from her. And now, late in life, there is an old biddy here still trying to snatch her legacy from her. She expresses her hope. Hope that has been with her since her umbilical cord was cut. With wavering firmness she continues her lifelong song of praise.
Reflection
How long does God's grace last? For those who come late to faith, grace may seem a short journey. The latecomers have less to look back on and savor than those whose faith has been life long. I am often amazed by those who look with envy at the lives of unbelievers. They indicate they think the faithless are having more fun with life than the faithful. Strange thinking. Is it more fun to get drunk and suffer a hangover than to abstain or drink moderately? Is it better to toil like one possessed for life's toys and die of a heart attack realizing that your toil has only been for those who fail to appreciate your efforts? Is one happier in living just for a moment for selfish desire than to feel God's providence governing your life? If 'the life of the faithless seems better then reject your faith if you can. God does not call us to misery or tell us not to enjoy life. The Singer looks back happily at a life that has been sustained by faith; a superior life to that of the unbeliever who would still like to steal her hope and joy from her. But she is secure in God's care. We are secure in the knowledge that God's grace is eternal and it is the greatest of life's gifts.
