Epiphany 9 / OT 9
Devotional
Water From the Well
Lectionary Devotional For Cycle A
Object:
You are indeed my rock and my fortress; for your name's sake lead me and guide me.
-- Psalm 31:3
Because the lectionary suggests we read this psalm in light of the Deuteronomy passage that prepared Israel to live in a changing future, we can also hear this as a prayer for us as we live in a time of constant change. Whether it be the challenge of science, communication, economics, or church, it is clear that we are experiencing changes that confront us with totally new choices. Our prayer to God is that we might discover blessings and avoid the curses of this new territory that is before us. The constant for us is God. "In you, O Lord, I seek refuge; do not let me be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me." The prayer is for guidance in unfamiliar territory. We know that the choices we face because of advances in DNA are like a minefield full of explosive possibilities, so we pray, "Take me out of the net that is hidden for me...." We know that our world is confronted with difficult political changes, so we pray, "hide [us] from human plots...." It is easy to allow the challenges of our new world to cause us to neglect the practice of the presence of God. "I had said in my alarm, 'I am driven far from your sight,' but you heard my supplications when I cried to you for help." The church itself is going through a period of transformation that can be very confusing to its members. It is critical for its members to hear in the midst of our changing reality, "Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord." We need to be reminded of the constancy of God in the midst of the changes we are experiencing.
-- Psalm 31:3
Because the lectionary suggests we read this psalm in light of the Deuteronomy passage that prepared Israel to live in a changing future, we can also hear this as a prayer for us as we live in a time of constant change. Whether it be the challenge of science, communication, economics, or church, it is clear that we are experiencing changes that confront us with totally new choices. Our prayer to God is that we might discover blessings and avoid the curses of this new territory that is before us. The constant for us is God. "In you, O Lord, I seek refuge; do not let me be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me." The prayer is for guidance in unfamiliar territory. We know that the choices we face because of advances in DNA are like a minefield full of explosive possibilities, so we pray, "Take me out of the net that is hidden for me...." We know that our world is confronted with difficult political changes, so we pray, "hide [us] from human plots...." It is easy to allow the challenges of our new world to cause us to neglect the practice of the presence of God. "I had said in my alarm, 'I am driven far from your sight,' but you heard my supplications when I cried to you for help." The church itself is going through a period of transformation that can be very confusing to its members. It is critical for its members to hear in the midst of our changing reality, "Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord." We need to be reminded of the constancy of God in the midst of the changes we are experiencing.
