Monday, June 13, 2016

Psalm 83

Today, I resonate with verse one. "O God, do not remain silent, do not turn a deaf ear, do not stand aloof, O God."

The cry I have for God is for God to be never be aloof; to never stand unmoved by the sorrow, and tragedy of our world; to never be distant and far away when human hearts break and we are shaken.  I want a God who is with us when we cry, a God who acts when injustice abounds, a God who is here in our mess, tangible when we are breaking or are already broken.  My prayer is for a God to be a God of action, of intervention.

But that is where the Psalmist and I part.  I am not a person who can cry out for others, even other I believe to be consumed by fire, or perish, in disgrace or not. I do not cry out for the death of my enemies or the enemies of righteousness and justice.  I do not desire those whom I oppose to die. Or even any evil to befall those whose actions I condemn.  I wish them fail. I desire for their purposes to be like chaff, for their plans to blow away like tumbleweed.

I do not wish evil to prevail. I do not wish for injustice to rule. I want it to be thwarted at every turn.  I desire for the actions, the intent, the desire to do evil to be consume.  Let the fire rage, as flame through a forest.  Let every oak of murder.  Every beech of hatred.  All the pines of evil.  Let the great maples of mass destruction. Let them burn! Lord, let us watch them, hold the rains at bay, let the air be filled with smoke and let us see that they are no more!

Let all that is against goodness, righteousness and justice become a charred wasteland. And then, and then in the blackened forest-less field that remain, let new life grow. Let the saplings of justice begin to grow. Let the the forest be redeemed, let the world see beauty where there was once nothing but ugliness.  Let it grow, let if flourish build a new forest, a great forest where the trees are goodness, where righteous turns toward the light, where the underbrush whispers the glory of the Lord. Where the dew is the water of life, bringing wholeness and new lift.
Let us be the birds, the deer, the fox that come and live among these trees, walk among the ferns. Let us then thrive together for the glory of the Lord; praising the name of the Lord morning and night for the Lord is our rock and our salvation, for the Lord is our savior and our redeemer.  Redeeming even that which seems unable to be saved.

"O God, do not remain silent, do not turn a deaf ear, do not stand aloof, O God."
Be near us today, and let that which we dare dream come to be.

No comments:

Post a Comment