Proper 9 / Pentecost 7 / Ordinary Time 14
Devotional
Water From the Rock
Lectionary Devotional for Cycle C
Object:
O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.
-- Psalm 30:2-3
One could reflect on Psalm 30 in the context of Naaman's healing from the previous lesson. Leprosy was considered a disease that demonstrated the punishment of God. It also forced people into social isolation. Even though Naaman was a very successful military commander, he may have felt isolated because of his skin disease. While he was not of the Israelite faith, his healing had convinced him that the only real God was the God of Israel (2 Kings 5:15). With the psalmist, he could well have prayed, "O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me."
What appeared to be a life sentence to the disease had been broken. "O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit." Naaman could recall the arrogance of power that had been part of his past life. "As for me, I said in my prosperity, 'I shall never be moved.' By your favor, O Lord, you had established me as a strong mountain; you hid your face; I was dismayed." He came in power seeking a magic potent that he could acquire by his wealth and power and had to learn humility in the simple act of obedience. "Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me! O Lord, be my helper!"
Naaman's response to his healing was one of praise and a desire to continue to worship the God who had healed him. "You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, so that my soul may praise you and not be silent." While the connection between Naaman's cure and this psalm is entirely one of imagination, it does help us to see how this psalm can guide us in our own prayer life when we have had our self-contained life interrupted by the grace of God.
-- Psalm 30:2-3
One could reflect on Psalm 30 in the context of Naaman's healing from the previous lesson. Leprosy was considered a disease that demonstrated the punishment of God. It also forced people into social isolation. Even though Naaman was a very successful military commander, he may have felt isolated because of his skin disease. While he was not of the Israelite faith, his healing had convinced him that the only real God was the God of Israel (2 Kings 5:15). With the psalmist, he could well have prayed, "O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me."
What appeared to be a life sentence to the disease had been broken. "O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit." Naaman could recall the arrogance of power that had been part of his past life. "As for me, I said in my prosperity, 'I shall never be moved.' By your favor, O Lord, you had established me as a strong mountain; you hid your face; I was dismayed." He came in power seeking a magic potent that he could acquire by his wealth and power and had to learn humility in the simple act of obedience. "Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me! O Lord, be my helper!"
Naaman's response to his healing was one of praise and a desire to continue to worship the God who had healed him. "You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, so that my soul may praise you and not be silent." While the connection between Naaman's cure and this psalm is entirely one of imagination, it does help us to see how this psalm can guide us in our own prayer life when we have had our self-contained life interrupted by the grace of God.
