Psalm 63
1 O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry
and weary land where there is no water.
I will admit I'm having a little difficulty writing today's devotional, partly because I'm
feeling overwhelmed by the news of the week: the misuse of force in Portland, rising
COVID-19 numbers (including almost 75% of detainees at an immigration facility in
Virginia), the financial challenges many families are facing.... It can certainly begin to
feel like we are in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
And yet what is so nourishing about spending time in the Psalms is that there is always
a word of hope, of blessing, of promise that God's power and glory and help and love
are ever-present and at work.
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.
3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.
5 My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
6 when I think of you on my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
7 for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
Historian Kate Bowler shared a blessing on her Facebook page
(https://www.facebook.com/katecbowler/) today that included these words:
blessed are we when we realize that suddenly, already,
you are right here, saying "peace be with you!"
breathing life and hope and truth,
filling everything, until the walls are dissolved
and we are free to move in faith again.
blessed are we who smile in the certainty
that in that dark space, You were there all along,
and as sure as day follows night, hope returns.
and faith, the evidence of things unseen.
Friends, may you feel free to move in faith again today.