Wednesday, July 15, 2020
Scripture for the Day
The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me.
Psalm 142:7
Psalm 142 is a song for deliverance from persecution.
The writer gives “voice” to their experience of maltreatment and torment as they “cry to the Lord.” Soft-spoken or emotionally tame words will not do. The psalmist cries. They shriek as they make supplication for the Lord to intervene.
And what is their torment?
They are faint. (v. 3a)
Their enemies are trying to entrap them. (v. 3b)
They are invisible and remain unnoticed. (v. 4a)
They have no refuge. (v. 4b)
No one cares for them. (v. 4b.)
Their cry goes up to God.
“You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living. Give heed to my cry, for I am brought very low. Save me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me. Bring me out of prison, so that I may give thanks to your name.”
After making their plea, the psalmist ends with a declaration. Perhaps we might read it as a declaration of what deliverance might look like (at least in part): deliverance will include the writer being surrounded by the righteous.
What if part of our deliverance from torment is experienced through the company of the righteous? What if part of God’s salvific work is made manifest through the fellowship of friends of God and/or followers of Jesus Christ?
You have heard me say this before: the very best gifts in life come wrapped up in flesh. The gift of fellowship, community, and what Bonhoeffer called, “Life Together,” is actually an outworking of God’s salvation and deliverance. Have you ever thought of it that way? Our faith community is not only our spiritual home but it is a witness to God’s salvation and deliverance. We are liberated in community. We are redeemed in community. We are made whole in community.
I continue to pray (and cry out) for our re-gathering. I continue to pray for the day when we can safely come back together and worship, fellowship, serve, and learn together. For when that day comes, we will once again enjoy the benefits of God’s salvation for our sake and the sake of the world.
