February 9
Psalm 31.19-24
19 How abundant are the good things
that you have stored up for those who fear you,
that you bestow in the sight of all,
on those who take refuge in you.
20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them
from all human intrigues;
you keep them safe in your dwelling
from accusing tongues.
21 Praise be to the Lord,
for he showed me the wonders of his love
when I was in a city under siege.
22 In my alarm I said,
“I am cut off from your sight!”
Yet you heard my cry for mercy
when I called to you for help.
23 Love the Lord, all his faithful people!
The Lord preserves those who are true to him,
but the proud he pays back in full.
24 Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the Lord.
I sat for coffee this morning, wrapped in my own thoughts and concerns for the day, the struggles I perceive right now. In the midst of it all, a man known to others, but not me, sits with us and begins talking to me. Jumped right into conversation, I think because another told him I am a pastor. Talking about life and death, heaven, inheritances, the presence of God in life right now. Then as quick as he sat, he also got up. I never got his name. He just had a conversation and moved on.
What strikes me in it all is that he spoke of the certainty of his salvation, knowing he was going to be with Christ at death. I could look at that and wonder how he gets that certainty. He doesn’t go to a church that holds to the Heidelberg Catechism (see Q&A 1). But we know that we alone do not hold that place. I could look at him and see that he didn’t speak or act like many we would see on a Sunday. But we don’t hold the full bounds of those who belong. It was simply a moment of seeing that so many walk with us in faith, without our full awareness.
The Psalmist here, as in many other places, says that it is all his faithful people; all you who hope in the LORD. It is common to see that word all describing the ones who belong to God. Not just certain people. All are called/invited to follow and belong. God’s presence, God’s protection, God’s salvation, God’s mercy; all these are given freely to those who hear him and follow.
Hear God speaking in the voices of the many who follow as we meet them in various places. See God acting in the lives of the many who follow as interact wherever we go. Remember that he calls us, and he calls all people, to follow Christ in his grace and mercy. We are not alone in following, but we see that there is a great multitude who will join us in praising God now, and even more as we come to the renewed life of resurrection.
Song – Revelation Song
Prayer
Almighty and merciful God, through your well-beloved Son, Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, you have willed to make all things new. Grant that we may be renewed by your Holy Spirit and may come at last to that heavenly country where your people hunger and thirst no more and the tears are wiped away from every eye, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.