Email from Church of the Redeemer

Morning Devotion for the Season after Pentecost

July 31, 2023

Invitatory

Give thanks to the Lord, and call upon his Name; make known his deeds among the peoples.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Reading - Psalm 34:1-8

1 I will bless the Lord at all times;

his praise shall ever be in my mouth.

2 I will glory in the Lord;

let the humble hear and rejoice.

3 Proclaim with me the greatness of the Lord;

let us exalt his Name together.

4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me

and delivered me out of all my terror.

5 Look upon him and be radiant,

and let not your faces be ashamed.

6 I called in my affliction and the Lord heard me

and saved me from all my troubles.

7 The angel of the Lord encompasses those who fear him,

and he will deliver them.

8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;

happy are they who trust in him!

Meditation - Winnie Smith

I am struck by the simplicity of this psalm: it is a pretty cut-and-dry song of praise. Bless the Lord at all times because of all the glorious things He has done for you. You looked for him and he was there; you were in trouble and he saved you. Because of all of this goodness, trust in the Lord.

It is far too easy to identify with the psalms of lament - the woe-is-me, God-has-forgotten-me-psalms. When we struggle, are in danger, or feel fear, we seem ready to lash out at a God who is not compassionate. The kind of praise psalm appointed for today seems further away and harder to connect to because when life is going well, we don’t often remember to thank God. In a seminary class on youth ministry, I learned the concept of God the “cosmic butler,” who exists to cater to individuals’ needs. This notion of God often goes along with a sort-of apathy towards the Divine, and instead relegates God to someone or something that you call upon when you are in need. While Christian teaching allows for individuals to call out to God when in trouble, we are also taught to praise God at all times. When things are good, we are to praise God, as well as when things are bad. And, perhaps hardest of all, we are to praise God in and for the mundane. It is far too easy to fall into the trap of seeing God as our own personal butler, on-call when times are tough and otherwise forgotten, but God is always with us and is always creating and recreating the world around us. That is pretty glorious.

What would it look like to praise God at all times? Verse 5 of the psalm today is particularly interesting: “Look upon him and be radiant, and let not your faces be ashamed.” This is the kind of praise that should fill us at all times. We should be always aware of the radiance and majesty of God and be thankful for it. The psalmist acknowledges that feeling this kind of praise can be uncomfortable, but encourages us not to be ashamed by it. In an increasingly secular age, this assurance is comforting. Let not our faces be ashamed - God’s power and love for us is remarkable and worthy of praise! In the good times, the bad times, at every time.

The Lord’s Prayer:

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy Name,

thy kingdom come,

thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those

who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

and the power, and the glory,

for ever and ever. Amen.