Epiphany 5 / Ordinary Time 5
Devotional
Water From the Rock
Lectionary Devotional for Cycle C
Object:
I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart ...
-- Psalm 138:1a
This psalm is listed in our lectionary as a response to the Isaiah 6 passage in which Isaiah, following the death of Uzziah, entered the temple and had the overwhelming experience of the presence of God. It was a time of national trauma following the death of a king who had ruled for fifty years, as long as most people could remember. The psalm is a personal prayer of thanksgiving that may seem unusual at a time of national and, perhaps, personal trauma. Praying this psalm with Isaiah's experience of Uzziah's death in mind can remind us of the power of immersing ourselves in thanksgiving at such times.
Thanking God with our whole hearts in times of trauma reminds us of the power of thanksgiving when we are in deep distress. Our bowing down in thanksgiving causes us to recall that the true source of our blessing is the steadfast love and faithfulness of God (v. 2). In such prayers, we recall how God has been faithful to us in the past and sustained us in times of need (v. 3). Our thanksgiving is in anticipation of the time when all the powers on earth will recognize and praise God as the source of blessing (vv. 4-5). When the rulers of the earth are aware of the character of God, they will humble themselves because they know God responds to the lowly (v. 6). We already know this because as we reflect back over our lives, we know God responded to us when we were lowly and in need (v. 7). Our thanksgiving is completed when having acknowledged how often God has been there for us, it suddenly dawns on us that God has a purpose for us. We are the work of God's hands, and we can pray with confidence, "Do not forsake the work of your hands" (v. 8).
It is a worthy psalm to pray at times of personal or national trauma.
-- Psalm 138:1a
This psalm is listed in our lectionary as a response to the Isaiah 6 passage in which Isaiah, following the death of Uzziah, entered the temple and had the overwhelming experience of the presence of God. It was a time of national trauma following the death of a king who had ruled for fifty years, as long as most people could remember. The psalm is a personal prayer of thanksgiving that may seem unusual at a time of national and, perhaps, personal trauma. Praying this psalm with Isaiah's experience of Uzziah's death in mind can remind us of the power of immersing ourselves in thanksgiving at such times.
Thanking God with our whole hearts in times of trauma reminds us of the power of thanksgiving when we are in deep distress. Our bowing down in thanksgiving causes us to recall that the true source of our blessing is the steadfast love and faithfulness of God (v. 2). In such prayers, we recall how God has been faithful to us in the past and sustained us in times of need (v. 3). Our thanksgiving is in anticipation of the time when all the powers on earth will recognize and praise God as the source of blessing (vv. 4-5). When the rulers of the earth are aware of the character of God, they will humble themselves because they know God responds to the lowly (v. 6). We already know this because as we reflect back over our lives, we know God responded to us when we were lowly and in need (v. 7). Our thanksgiving is completed when having acknowledged how often God has been there for us, it suddenly dawns on us that God has a purpose for us. We are the work of God's hands, and we can pray with confidence, "Do not forsake the work of your hands" (v. 8).
It is a worthy psalm to pray at times of personal or national trauma.
