Читать книгу Reflections on the Psalms - Steven Croft - Страница 18

O Lord my God, in you I take refuge;save me from all who pursue me, and deliver me.

‘I will give thanks’ (v.17)

As in so many of the psalms, God is here described as a safe haven to whom we can run in times of stress or danger – a refuge (v.1) and a shield (v.10). Running to God in times of trouble is an expression of faith. Yet in this case the psalmist’s troubles seem to have arisen from his attempt to walk God’s way. He knows that God is just (v.11), yet his current situation is marked by injustice and unmerited persecution.

How is he to make sense of this? How are we to make sense of the injustice that afflicts the whole world, and that sometimes touches our nearest and dearest? The psalmist begins by exhorting God to act in accordance with his nature. Even in the midst of his distressing and confusing situation, he asserts that God is a God of justice.

Then somehow he seems to see the world differently. He observes a kind of natural justice at work in the lives of those who do wrong; their evil deeds and intentions ultimately rebound on them. In this light he is able to do more than simply assert that God is good; he is able to give thanks (v.17). From his dark situation has emerged the virtue of gratitude. This is a virtue that begins with choosing to see a situation as a gift, and that then has a knock-on effect on how we act and feel: the ability to make music (v.17) is a sign that the dark mood is lifting.

Reflection by Joanna Collicutt

Refrain:

Give judgement for me

according to my righteousness, O Lord.

Prayer:

Lord, your justice turns evil on itself:

move us to examine our hearts

and repent of all duplicity;

for the sake of Jesus Christ,

our Judge and righteous Saviour.