Psalm 36:1-12
Key Verses: 36:5-6
“But your
loyal love, Lord, extends to the skies; your faithfulness reaches the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the strongest mountains; your justice is like the
deepest sea. Lord, you save both humans and animals.” CEB
The
Psalmist paints a picture for us of a world which does not go untouched by God.
A world that is made up of the very attributes of God the foundations of the
mountains, the bedrock upon which we all walk is God’s righteousness. We all
live in the shadow of the righteousness of God. As God’s people we are to be like
valley pools reflecting that righteous so all the world can see it in us.
Living right, acting right, speaking right, loving right – reflecting the very
character of God at all times in all things.
God’s
steadfast love, God’s faithfulness, is in the air we breathe. Each time we
breathe in we experience that love. What does that even mean we the cry of
those who are desperate, is, “I can’t breathe!” So many are suffocating right
now, how can we extend God’s loyal, steadfast love to everyone? No one should
be unable to breathe in God’s life giving breathe. It was imparted to us all on
the day of our creation. God’s steadfast love is all around, filling the very
air we breathe to deny anyone that breath is to refuse them what was given to
them by God at creation.
God’s justice, which is what those who have been denied the breath
of God’s steadfast love are asking for, is as deep and wide as the ocean. We
live on a blue planet because our planet is literally covered by its seas.
God’s justice is what covers this earth, colors this earth. The picture the
Psalmist is painting is one in which the entire earth is covered and colored by
God’s justice only happens when God’s love is lived out, when the very laws of
the heavens are made manifest in the hearts and lives of God’s people. The systems
must be redeemed and transformed just as individual lives are transformed.
First lives are transformed and then the world is transformed in and through
transformed people. When we all love like God loves, when we agents of God’s
steadfast love, righteousness and justice, transformed people can then
dismantle the broken systems and then they too can be redeemed. First the
hearts and lives of individuals are transformed, and then the make up of our
world can also be redeemed, the foundations of our societies, the heart of
our laws, and the fabric of our systems will begin to reflect God's
righteousness, be covered in the deep unfathomableness of God’s justice and the
very steadfast love of God will fill the lungs of all, and we will all able to breathe
deeply
Thing to Think on
What does it look like when the world is painted with God’s
love, God’s righteousness and God’s justice?
What does it look like when all are able to find refuge under God’s
wings?
A Prayer for Today
Lord, so many can’t breathe right now;
so many are unable to experience your justice, or your love. How then can we expect
your justice to be known? What do I do? What can I do? How can I be transformed
by you into an agent of your love, righteousness and justice? How do I live in
such a way that I can help your redemptive work in this world? How do I live in
such a way that the very fabric of my society, the foundations of the land in
which I live are redeemed in turn? Shape me, change me into a person who
reflects your holy character, who then goes into the world shaping and changing
the world to also reflect your holiness. Let it be so, let it become so. - Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment