Monday 04 April 2022

Psalm 73

Background

I treasure a kitsch sculpture of a boy hiding under the hand of God, given to me by a dear member of one of the congregations I served as a minister. Although it's not quite my style, it has grown on me with the passing of the years and has earned its place on different mantelpieces of manses I have lived in, including the one where I live now. It speaks of a deep spiritual truth: the cloud of God’s protecting love – without which I could not cope with the struggles of life.

‘There is a Redeemer', begins the hymn for today (StF 338), under whose wings we are invited to hide from the heat of the day. Yet, called by name, each and everyone of us has a challenging task at hand, to live by and to proclaim the liberating truth of God, with compassion and kindness, but also with the sharpness that it requires.

It seems a costly redemption to receive such a mission. I suppose, it would be too much to expect just to be the recipient of redemption, freedom, grace and truth without also being tasked with the responsibility of passing it on to others, even  to the ends of the earth. I believe receiving such salvation shows God intended the recipient to be part of God's mission even before their conception in the womb of their mother. Receiving salvation makes them part of a project of liberation as old as the need for it existed, and which will carry on into the future until all have received it fully.

So, thank you God for involving me in this mission even before I was formed in my mother’s womb. I am part of it now and forever. But also, please, can I hide even more deeply in your protecting hand? The enemies of this project seem so powerful. And the evil one lurks around threatening me. Let me stay in the words of Charles Wesley's hymn "as far from danger as from fear, while love, almighty love, is near."

To Ponder:

• 'A sharp sword' and a 'polished arrow' – consider the responsibilities that come with criticism. When is right to criticise?
• When is it necessary to hide under the shadow of the Most High?

Prayer

I pray, please give me the force to destroy and the strength to build up, and the wisdom never to walk away if it can be avoided. Amen.