Psalm 36:5-10
Preaching
A Journey Through the Psalms: Reflections for Worried Hearts and Troubled Times
Preaching the Psalms Cycles A, B, C
Object:
There is nothing quite so wonderful as someone you can trust. Most of us, if we're lucky, have had someone in our lives whom we can trust; someone who "has our back," through thick and thin; someone whose loyalty is never up for grabs. Maybe it's a parent or family member. Perhaps it's an old friend or a spouse. Whoever it is, there can be no doubt about it. There is nothing quite like knowing that there's someone who will not abandon us; someone who will never leave or betray our trust; someone who will be our rock in the storms of our lives.
The truth is, however, that even in the best of relationships, trust is betrayed. People are frail and weak, and they inevitably make mistakes or simply fail to show up when they are needed. This is, one imagines, why forgiveness is so basic to our faith. Without it, we would spiral down into chaos and destruction.
However, there is one whose love is "steadfast." There is someone who does not go away or abandon us; someone who is not fickle or frail. The identity of the "one," is obvious and rolls easily from the tongue. It is, however, another matter to really let go and trust in this "one," this God.
This is why a psalm like this one is so important. When people and their inconsistencies have left us wounded and prostrate, this psalm announces the wonder of God's "steadfast love." When the vagaries of life leave us empty and out of steam, this psalm bids us "take refuge" in the shadow of God's wings. When as humans we are exhausted and wasted from competition and striving, this psalm offers the ceaseless abundance of God's grace, comparing it to a "river of delights."
Once convinced of the fidelity of God, the rest of life takes on a different hue. Secure in God's "steadfast love," it becomes easier to risk and to take chances. Trusting in God's abundance allows us to lean into this sense of plenty in our own lives and relationships.
So it is that this is a psalm to take with us into our lives of prayer. Pray this psalm daily. Pray it when it seems like a joke. Pray it when cynicism rules the heart. Pray it when trust in people or institutions has failed. Pray it when loneliness creeps about the heart. Learn this psalm and carry it like a precious gift. Its promises, like the one it describes, are authentic and true.
The truth is, however, that even in the best of relationships, trust is betrayed. People are frail and weak, and they inevitably make mistakes or simply fail to show up when they are needed. This is, one imagines, why forgiveness is so basic to our faith. Without it, we would spiral down into chaos and destruction.
However, there is one whose love is "steadfast." There is someone who does not go away or abandon us; someone who is not fickle or frail. The identity of the "one," is obvious and rolls easily from the tongue. It is, however, another matter to really let go and trust in this "one," this God.
This is why a psalm like this one is so important. When people and their inconsistencies have left us wounded and prostrate, this psalm announces the wonder of God's "steadfast love." When the vagaries of life leave us empty and out of steam, this psalm bids us "take refuge" in the shadow of God's wings. When as humans we are exhausted and wasted from competition and striving, this psalm offers the ceaseless abundance of God's grace, comparing it to a "river of delights."
Once convinced of the fidelity of God, the rest of life takes on a different hue. Secure in God's "steadfast love," it becomes easier to risk and to take chances. Trusting in God's abundance allows us to lean into this sense of plenty in our own lives and relationships.
So it is that this is a psalm to take with us into our lives of prayer. Pray this psalm daily. Pray it when it seems like a joke. Pray it when cynicism rules the heart. Pray it when trust in people or institutions has failed. Pray it when loneliness creeps about the heart. Learn this psalm and carry it like a precious gift. Its promises, like the one it describes, are authentic and true.
