When I’m not sure what to read in the Bible, I sometimes go with the daily lectionary. It’s a three year cycle of daily readings used by some parts of the Church. So, I meant to read Psalm 145. But, due to sleepy brain, I read Psalm 146. All that to say, I found some cool nuggets to share. Thanks for letting me share them with you!
5Blessed is he whose help is the
God of Jacob,
whose hope is in
the LORD his God,
6who made heaven and
earth,
the sea, and all
that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
7who
executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to
the hungry.
Psalm 146:5-7 (ESV)
Check out the contrast of this passage between verse six and
seven. First, the Lord God made
everything—heaven, earth, the sea, and all of us in them. All the birds, plants,
animals, and people. At the pivot in
between, the psalmist reminds us that this Creator God keeps faith forever,
always, non-stop, without ceasing. Then,
this grand, majestic God concerns Himself with the least of us. He executes
justice for the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. We humans don’t give much attention to the
oppressed. It seems the less we know, we
don’t have to feel uncomfortable and the oppressors can keep and grow their
power. And the hungry we help out around
Thanksgiving and Christmas, maybe drop a coin or two in the red kettles and let
those organization help those people.
But. But! The creator of all—pause right there. How much attention do we give to the creator
of Apple or Microsoft? How much
attention do they give us? But God, the Creator,
keeps faith, and executes justice for the oppressed. He notices them, He notices their oppression,
and makes justice happen for them. The
oppressed aren’t a statistic or an infographic in a newsfeed to God. He is with them, Immanuel. He is the God who sees, El Roi. He recognizes that they are oppressed, and He
does something about it. He keeps faith
forever.
And another amazing thing?
This Creator, faithful, seeing, with us God, invites us to create, be
faithful, really see people, and be with them.
He invites us to recognize the oppressed—in our community and around the
world. To recognize our human sister or brother
and their experience. To name and call
out their oppression. And to work for
their justice.
Too often, though, I find myself like this:
 |
| If I don't see it, it doesn't exist, right? |
My heart hurts when I start seeing the oppressed
and I feel too tiny, powerless. I can
bury my head in the endless sand of silly cell phone games and entertainment,
letting my heart atrophy to avoid the pain.
But then, I’m denying who I was made to be. With my head and heart deadened by entertainment,
my silence and my dollars inadvertently prop up the oppressors.
If my heart breaks when I see the oppressed, I must remember
that the creator of all is faithful forever.
And that includes being faithful to me, too. This Advent, we remember that God came, that
He is the God with us. We are not
forgotten. So neither should we
forget. The most often repeated command
in the Bible is, “Fear not!” Don’t fear
when your heart hurts. Don’t fear when
you feel too small. Don’t fear to see
and be with people, to really love. God
keeps faith forever.
Here are verses seven through nine reworded to encourage
us—me and you—to put feet to our reflections on this psalm.
The Lord, who executes justice for the oppressed.
How can I concretely work for
justice for the oppressed today?
Who
gives food to the hungry.
Who can I feed today, who would
have otherwise gone hungry?
The
Lord sets the prisoners free.
In a literal sense, how can I work
for prison reform today? In a figurative
and very real sense, who do I know, including myself, that is in mental,
emotional, or spiritual bondage that I can touch with kindness today?
The
Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
How can I help to open the eyes of
the blind today? How do my own eyes need
to be opened today?
The
Lord lifts up those who are bowed down.
What burdens can I lighten or
remove from people today, to allow my sisters and brothers to stand upright in
their dignity as a daughter or son of God?
The
Lord loves the righteous.
How can I love those quietly
working to put things right—the righteous—today? And, how can I tangibly love the
self-righteous?
The
Lord watches over the sojourners.
How can I protect the vulnerable
today, those fleeing everything they’ve ever known, seeking safety and
stability?
He
upholds the widow and the fatherless,
How can I provide help to those
experiencing the crushing grief and financial burden of losing a husband, wife,
father, or mother?
But
the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
How can I bring ruin to the way
and systems of wickedness today, while loving those perpetuating those
systems—unknowingly and knowingly?
That’s a tall order of actions to take. But—I’m preaching to myself here—don’t be an
ostrich. Don’t be afraid to let your
heart hurt. God came, He is with
us! There is hope! Small acts of kindness and justice add up. Do what you know and are called to
today—however small, huge, or scary. God
will mend our hearts and be with us.
The LORD will reign forever,
your God, O Zion,
to all generations.
Praise the LORD!
Psalm 146:10 (ESV)
May I suggest one act to take today? My friend Danielle is participating in
Dressember, where she wears a dress every day in December to raise awareness
about the grievous oppression of sex trafficking. You can watch this TEDx talk to learn more: “How a Dress Can Change the World”
You can also donate to her fundraising page,
supporting International Justice Mission.
And bonus! Every donation will be
matched by an anonymous supporter of Feet for Freedom, up to the first $1,000
donated. https://support.dressemberfoundation.org/dani Thank you for your generosity!
