How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O Lord my God! Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death, and my enemy will say, "I have prevailed"; my foes will rejoice because I am shaken. But I trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me. (Psalm 13)

In the summer at the beach I will happily tread water waiting for the perfect wave.

In other seasons and settings my wait is less enthusiastic and less attentive.

The perfect wave is a convergence of many influences.

I have no influence on the waves. Elsewhere I may have some influence. But still there is often a need to wait expectantly for a convergence beyond my influence.

God also waits: for the convergence of our heart and mind with our original purpose.

Above is Waiting for the Right Time to Move by Brian D. Tripp

Give ear to my words, O Lord; give heed to my sighing. Listen to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you I pray. O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch. (Psalm 5: 1-3)

"I will plead my case to you," as a lawyer pleads before a judge. The Hebrew verb suggests to carefully order and set forth. I will sigh. I will cry. But I will also mindfully prepare, present, and intervene with God.

After making my case, I will watch. This is the same verb as to spy. It suggests watching very carefully for any opportunity. In some translations it is rendered "watch expectantly." It implies watching for the right moment to act.

Too often I pray only with a sigh and a cry. God already knows the case better than I do, but preparing the case helps me be prepared. Then I am ready to watch and do my part in the opportunities that God will present.

Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and his anointed, saying, "Let us burst their bonds asunder, and cast their cords from us." He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord has them in derision. (Psalm 2: 1-4)

We challenge boundaries. We question limitations. We seek to control and avoid being controlled.

Is our intention creative or destructive? Do we seek to understand reality or overturn reality? Are we motivated by respect or pride?

Above hagah is translated as plot. It can also mean meditate, muse, or devise. The character of the action depends on our intention.

Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved. (Psalm 80: 3)

In many churches today is the first Sunday of Advent. This is a short season of four Sundays in preparation for Christmas.

Originally this was a time committed to reflection and repentence. The Eastern church continues a more penitential emphasis.

But in Western churches - and especially in protestant congregations - Advent has become a season of expectant celebration.

Expectation can be a treacherous emotion. To expect is derived from the Latin ex (outside of, more than) and spectare (to see). In expecting we can prepare ourselves to see more than usual.

By preparing ourselves to see - by preparing ourselves for an experience - we can more fully grasp the experience. This is especially true of something outside our ordinary experience.

But our expectations - if inaccurate - can also obscure reality. If we expect snow we may be disappointed by rain. If we are looking for drinking and dancing, we may not even notice the opportunity for a quiet walk.

Restore us, O God. Prepare us to see your face and live this life as you intend.

Above is Expectation by Frank Lejeune.

Rescue me from the cruel sword, and deliver me from the hand of aliens, whose mouths speak lies, and whose right hands are false. May our sons in their youth be like plants full grown, our daughters like corner pillars, cut for the building of a palace. May our barns be filled, with produce of every kind; may our sheep increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our fields, and may our cattle be heavy with young. May there be no breach in the walls, no exile, and no cry of distress in our streets. Happy are the people to whom such blessings fall; happy are the people whose God is the LORD. (Psalm 144: 11-15)

What do we want? David asks for admirable children, prosperity, and security.

When his son was asked what he wanted Solomon said, "Give your servant an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil..." (1 Kings 3: 9)

Satan came to Jesus in the wilderness when he was weak from hunger. Satan encouraged Jesus to ask for stones to become bread, for protection against harm, and for great power. (Matthew 4)

Jesus taught us to ask for the coming of God's rule and the doing of God's will, our daily bread, receiving and extending forgiveness, and protection from temptation and evil. (Matthew 6: 9-13)

We may ask out of faith or fear, in service or selfishness. Regardless of our intention it is important that we ask and do our best to listen for the answer. The dialogue of prayer is more important than how it begins.

Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies! (Psalm 143:9)

David has been chased into hiding - perhaps in a cave - by enemies who have "crushed" him and made him sit in darkness.

David asks that God "make haste." He asks that his enemies be cut off and destroyed by the next morning.

We don't know what happened the next morning. We do know that after a long lifetime of troubles David died in his own bed. We also know that he made a death-bed request to kill his surviving enemies. (See 1 Kings 2: 5-9) So much for inspiring last words.

David was his own worst enemy. His strength, intelligence, passion, and power were too often misdirected. Through bad judgment and intentional betrayal he made many enemies. As a leader and an innovator he attracted more enemies, even when his judgment was sound and his actions good.

David's saving grace was a self-awareness of his persistently contradictory strengths and weaknesses.

In the midst of his hate, fear, and impatience David also prays, "Let me hear in the morning of thy steadfast love, for in thee I put my trust. Teach me the way I should go, for to thee I lift up my soul. Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies. Teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God! Let thy good spirit lead me on a level path!" (Psalm 143: 8-10)

Let me accept your steadfast love. Teach me the way to you. Deliver me from my own fear, arrogance, and error. Teach me to make your will my will, for you are my only reality. Send me quickly your way.

Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who stand by night in the house of the Lord! Lift up your hands to the holy place, and bless the Lord. May the Lord, maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion. (Psalm 134)

We ask for God's blessing on us. We should also extend our blessing to God. We can be - are meant to be - a source of blessing.

A blessing is an uncovering of purpose. By making purpose explicit the one who is blessed is empowered to achieve his or her purpose.

We are to make explicit the purpose of God. If we can discern and state this purpose, we will bless God.

In extending this blessing to God we open ourselves to God's blessing for us. In finding God's purpose we also find our own.

Together with God we might bless the world. Without God we lose this power. Without our blessing God's purpose remains implicit.

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States. Many suggest that the Plymouth Pilgrim's celebration of Thanksgiving was a renewal of the Festival of Sukkot. Didymus Dicta provided information on Sukkot in it's October 19 entry.

Above is Open (1971) by Robert Motherwell.

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications! If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning. (Psalm 130: 1-6)

We cry, wait, and hope. We seek forgiveness.

We often seek the gift of returning to what was before. Before the angry words, before she went away, before the stupid mistake... let me go back, let it be as if it did not happen.

God offers a more fundamental forgiveness. The prefix for implies completely or excessively. We may return to our very origins in God.

The One Who Exists in the past, now, and in the future is ready to give excessively. The challenge is to receive the gift.

The Indo-European source of give (ghabh) means to both give and receive. Forgiveness involves complete giving and complete receiving.

The giving has already happened. We cry, wait, and hope for the strength and courage - or perhaps the openness and humility - to receive.

I lift up my eyes to the hills - from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 121: 1-2)

Helping can be a very subtle skill. It is often easier to do something for another. It can sometimes be simple to solve another's immediate problem. It is much more challenging to help another.

When we seek help we typically need an extra arm or eye to lift or find something. But we do not expect our helper to do it alone.

When we help a friend find something, we both look and the friend is as likely to find it as are we. When we help a neighbor move something heavy, the strength of each is needed.

When we help an elderly person clean their house or yard, care is needed to preserve the dignity of the one who is being helped. When we help a child on a school project we seek to inspire, encourage, and perhaps give clues. We should not take over the project.

God is our helper. We should always be ready to ask for and accept help. We should listen carefully for God's counsel. We should be ready to undertake our share of the task.

The fourth verse of Psalm 121 reads, "He who watches over Israel, slumbers not nor sleeps." Felix Mendelssohn used this as a text for his oratorio Elijah. A real media recording of the chorus is available from Charles K. Moss.

On November 22 the churches of the Anglican Communion remember C.S. Lewis who died on this day in 1963. Harper-Collins, the author's publisher, provides background on Lewis's life and work.

Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people; help me when you deliver them; that I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory in your heritage. Both we and our ancestors have sinned; we have committed iniquity, have done wickedly. (Psalm 106: 1-6)

We have sinned. We have missed the way or missed the mark. It reminds us that to give thanks is derived from shooting an arrow. We may shoot but miss our aim.

We have committed iniquity. We have bent, twisted and distorted reality. Our arrow did not fly straight because we have bent it.

We have done wickedly. We have been hostile. We have rebelled. Perhaps we have aimed where we should not.

But we are welcome to choose another arrow and take aim again. Choose well. Good shooting.

Above is a prehistoric cave painting from near Castelldon, Spain.

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever! Let Israel say, "His steadfast love endures forever." Let the house of Aaron say, "His steadfast love endures forever." Let those who fear the Lord say, "His steadfast love endures forever." (Psalm 118: 1-4)

In Hebrew, as in English, there are several different forms of love. The steadfast love of this psalm is checed. Depending on context the term's English meaning is rendered as kindness, or mercy, or goodness, or loyalty, or favor, or even wicked or reproached, or shamed.

This is a love that fully identifies with the beloved. The lover understands the beloved. The lover shares the experience of the beloved. When the beloved is happy, the lover is happy. When the beloved is ashamed, the lover is ashamed.

As a result the lover is kind. The lover treats the beloved as one of his or her kind or kindred. The lover treats the beloved kindly, as we treat those with whom we are closely related and know very well. God is our lover and we are the beloved of God.

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. (Psalm 118: 29)

Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous. Praise befits the upright. Praise the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. (Psalm 33: 1-3)

Rejoice is translated from ranan. This is a spontaneous shout of joy after overcoming a threat.

The praise of the second sentence is tehillah which suggests boasting, roaring, acting like a fool or a madman.

In the third sentence the translator has used praise for the Hebrew verb yadah. Other translators use "give thanks." The Hebrew concept is related to a verb of the same spelling that means to shoot arrows or cast a fishing line or put down a burden.

Make melody can also be translated as make music or sing praises. The verb is derived from zamar which means to trim or prune, as a vine or fruit tree might be pruned.

We come rejoicing in all things. In joy our encumbrances are pruned. In joy we reach out for what we need. In joy we lose our caution and trust in God. In joy we shout out loud.

Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and shield. Our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you. (Psalm 33: 20-22)

A few bars of Beethoven's Ode to Joy is available from SonyMusic. (Symphony Number 9 in D Minor, Opus 125 "Choral") This is a .wav file.

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind. (Psalm 107: 8)

Giving thanks can be courageous. When we thank another, we acknowledge our dependence on others.

Giving thanks can be freeing. In the Hebrew the implication is that we cast down or give away a burden.

Giving thanks can be creative. In thanks we are often compelled to give of ourselves in a way that would otherwise have not emerged.

Above is Trophy II by Robert Rauschenberg produced as a thank you gift to Teeny and Marcel Duchamp.

O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples. Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually. Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered... (Psalm 105:1-5)

The One Who Exists in the Past, Now, and in the Future is a verb in the form of a noun. This God is not detached or passive. Our God is constantly moving and creating.

We may co-create with the One Who Exists when we join in the action: give, sing, tell, rejoice, seek, and remember.

I will sing of loyalty and of justice; to you, O Lord, I will sing. I will study the way that is blameless. When shall I attain it? (Psalm 101: 1-2)

I love God. I know the right way. When will I choose the right way? Why do I so often choose the wrong way?

In the second psalm assigned for today we read:

Do not be silent, O God of my praise. For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues. They beset me with words of hate, and attack me without cause. In return for my love they accuse me, even while I make prayer for them. So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love. (Psalm 109: 1-5)

I am hard pressed. Much of what I have worked to create over the last seven years is on the edge of disaster. But the most serious threats are of my own making. An enemy has never hurt me as badly as I have hurt myself. To blame others for my own failings would be an indulgence, a distraction, and to choose yet another wrong path.

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

I certainly echo the psalmist in crying, "Help me, O Lord my God! Save me according to your steadfast love." But in my case, save me from my own foolish choices. Help me find and choose and stay on the right path.

The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad! Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Light dawns for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name! (Psalm 97: 1-2,11-12)

It is early morning on the east coast of North America and clouds obscure any star. But the clouds are suffused with moonlight. Without the clouds there would be sharp shadows, separating the very dark from the very bright. But working with the clouds the light reaches around and behind and, somehow, softens the shadows.

Dawn is still hours away, but there is no thick darkness. Instead there is a comforting light by which to find my way.

Above is Night by Willem de Kooning.

Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous. Praise befits the upright. Praise the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord. Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and shield. Our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. (Psalm 33: 1-5, 20-21)

We praise one another too seldom. We too often reject the praise of others. We would serve others better and be happier ourselves if we were more inclined to praise than to criticism.

We tend to feed problems and starve opportunities. We have been given a feast of opportunities. Leave behind the problems, join in the feast.

Our prayers may be most in earnest when we are in trouble. What might be the outcome if we were as assiduous in praise? How might our lives - and the lives of those about us - be transformed if we were always on the edge of praise.

Praise, sing, and shout.

But truly God has listened; he has given heed to the words of my prayer. (Psalm 66: 19)

In my experience listening is a rare and difficult skill. In totally secular and self-interested contexts - where listening is needed and expected - it is often absent. Many linguists estimate that at best we hear roughly sixty percent of what another intends.

Noise, interruption, an unfamiliar dialect, mumbling, and more can complicate our hearing. Even worse are preexisting expectations and personal agendas that impede and warp understanding of what we hear.

God has listened - shama - the psalmist tells us. This is a hearing that is also a doing. I cannot think of an English word that so fully captures how to hear is also to act on what is heard. This is very active listening.

God has given heed -qashab - to prayer. This is very attentive listening. God attends to what we intend. God is fully present. God is in this very moment with us, distracted neither by what is past nor a possible future. God is with us.

The experience of being fully heard and understood is, simply in itself, healing and empowering.

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands - O prosper for us the work of our hands! (Psalm 90: 17)

The original Hebrew might also be rendered as: Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish a firm foundation for what we undertake.

The first translation suggests an intervention, the second more of a predisposition. In the first we might be the recipient of a favor. In the second we are to be co-creators.

The first suggests dependence, the second partnership. There is a tension in the potential meaning. But the tension is complementary rather than contradictory.

Above is Number 8, 1949 by Jackson Pollock

Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. (Psalm 91: 9-11)

There are times when we want to hide away. There are situations seemingly beyond our capacity when we seek protection by another. The Psalms and other scripture teach that if we trust completely in God we will be given refuge.

This refuge is seldom comfortable. In Psalm 91 the images are of being in the midst of battle and surviving. With trust in God we can step boldly into risk. "You will tread upon the lion and cobra, the young lion and the serpent you will trample down." (Verse 13)

Trust in God is not passive. The refuge of God is not easy. We are protected when, through trust in God, we find the courage and creativity to deal with the challenges before us.

Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other. Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky. The Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase. Righteousness will go before him, and will make a path for his steps. (Psalm 85: 10-13)

The lighted way and true path leads to God. Our destination is God. We come from God, we seek a return to God.

For some of us the true path is straight, level, and pleasant. For others there are floods, rock-slides and bandits. I have - almost every day - left the path for awhile. Returning to the path is usually easy. Occasionally I have gotten lost.

I have at times been certain I was on the right path, but eventually found I had chosen badly. This is not a mindless afternoon walk. This is the journey of a lifetime.

Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth... (Psalm 86: 11)

Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Psalm 119: 104-105)

We are traveling toward a destination. We are seeking the right way.

There are precepts - piqquwd or principles - that will inform our understanding - biyn or discernment or consideration. With these principles to guide us, we are able to reject every false - sheqer or deceptive - way.

God, thank you for your principles. Please give me the discipline to observe the principles. Please give me the discernment to apply the principles wisely and well. Please give me the courage to remain on the path that fulfills your intention for me.

Above is The Journey by Bui Van Hoan, a 2002 graduate of the Hanoi Yet Kieu Fine Arts University (Vietnam). More works by Bui Van Hoan are available at PicassoMio.

Yet they tested the Most High God, and rebelled against him. They did not observe his decrees, but turned away and were faithless like their ancestors; they twisted like a treacherous bow. For they provoked him to anger with their high places; they moved him to jealousy with their idols. When God heard, he was full of wrath, and he utterly rejected Israel. He abandoned his dwelling at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt among mortals, and delivered his power to captivity, his glory to the hand of the foe. He gave his people to the sword, and vented his wrath on his heritage. Fire devoured their young men, and their girls had no marriage song. Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows made no lamentation. (Psalm 78: 56-64)

The anger of God is a recurring theme. In the Psalms - and in many of the Hebrew scriptures - God's patience is finally exhausted and God's justice is punishing and awful.

This God of fierce wrath is also a recurring theme of Christian belief. The fire and brimstone tradition of Jonathon Edwards Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God is alive and well today. Many of the churches that preach fear are among the most successful.

In a universe created for freedom evil is a ready option. Even in the midst of faithfulness evil and suffering are possible. In rebellion and faithlessness the suffering will be even greater.

I cannot, though, reconcile a God of Wrath with the God of Jesus or the God I have known. My God is loving, creating, and giving. In the midst of evil and suffering my God is ready to redeem, transform, and make meaning.

Like Job we are often inclined to blame God. As with Job, when we finally turn to God we find not the cause of our suffering but healing and hope to overcome the pain.

Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable? Has his steadfast love ceased forever? Are his promises at an end for all time? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?" (Psalm 77: 7-9)

My understanding of God depends greatly on the teachings of Jesus. Anger is uncommon in the teachings and behavior of Jesus.

Jesus was angered by self-righteousness and by the use of religion to oppress or exploit. When faith is focused on self satisfaction, rather than on forming a relationship with God, Jesus was quick to criticize, warn, and - in two cases - take angry action. Otherwise we see in Jesus a profound patience, forgiveness, and abiding love.

God is absolutely steadfast in love and compassion. But we experience the character of God only by being in relationship with God. When we choose to be out of relationship with God we will not experience God's transforming potential.

O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. (Psalm 96: 1-2)

To sing can be to step outside ourselves. To truly sing we must abandon our ordinary self and allow a more fundamental self to emerge.

Singing is slightly - sometimes dramatically - absurd. It requires courage. Cautious singing is almost always pathetic. Egotistical singing is usually painful. Singing with abandon and enthusiasm is inspiring, even when the skill is modest.

The Hebrew for singing in Psalm 96 is shiyr which is derived from the word for traveling or making a journey. When we sing we can find - perhaps create - a new place.

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord; for he is coming, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth. (Psalm 96: 11-13)

Above is Impression III (Concert) by Wassily Kandinsky painted in response to the music of Arnold Schoenberg.

Lord, show me your way; lead me on a level path because of my enemies. Do not abandon me to the will of my foes; malicious and lying witnesses have risen against me. But I believe I shall enjoy the Lord's goodness in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord, take courage; be stouthearted, wait for the Lord! (Psalm 27: 11-14)

I am not skilled at waiting. One of my professional strengths is setting a deadline and organizing resources to do the best possible within the deadline. I use each deadline to advance toward other deadlines. In this way there is an unfolding sense of progress.

When others complicate my schedule it is frustrating. I try to either motivate them or move around them. I have very seldom chosen to wait.

Recently this has been changing. There are matters - important matters - that are clearly immune to my time schedule. The impediments are so large, and often so scattered, that I cannot move around them. Sometimes my motivation may cause a modest inching forward. More often I am like a mouse pushing against a car.

My choices are reduced to walking away or waiting. While waiting I can choose to either fret or enjoy the scenery. I have recently seen some marvelous scenery.

Reinhold Niebuhr's great prayer is that we "may to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things which should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other." Sometimes if we are willing to wait the possibility of change unfolds.

Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me. I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God. (Psalm 69: 1-3)

The waters sometime consume the faithful. Weariness is followed by death.

A generation is taken into exile. Another generation is consumed by gas chambers.

Fervent prayers of the innocent are silenced in cruelty.

With our freedom to choose, we sometimes choose evil. My evil choice may sweep over many.

There is always the chance to turn back. We may not be able to reclaim the evil we have done, but we can redeem what still must be done.

When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, I was stupid and ignorant; I was like a brute beast toward you. Nevertheless I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me with honor. (Psalm 73: 21-24)

Be pleased, O God, to deliver me. O Lord, make haste to help me! Let those be put to shame and confusion who seek my life. Let those be turned back and brought to dishonor who desire to hurt me. Let those who say, "Aha, Aha!" turn back because of their shame. Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. Let those who love your salvation say evermore, "God is great!" But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay! (Psalm 70)

David wrote this, and many of the psalms, later in life. Most would not have perceived him as poor and needy. He was a great King - encumbered with kingly troubles - but poor and needy seems an overstatment.

Psalm 70 is merely an excerpt from Psalm 40 (verses 13-17). In this earlier psalm David wrote that God "drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog..." He was trapped. He could not extract himself. David's own sense of need is urgent.

David was a complicated man. Politically and personally he displayed nearly every vice: pride, envy, avarice, intolerance, disloyalty, disobedience, and more. But David was able to recognize and take responsibility for his own failures.

Even from a throne of power - surrounded by gold, diamonds, and his harem of wives and concubines - David was able to recognize his deep need and profound poverty.

Before we will accept the help of God we must recognize our need for God. David was blessed with an urgent sense of needing God.

Above is David and Bathsheba by Marc Chagall. More on David is available at Wikipedia

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning. O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem. (Psalm 130: 5-7)

Israel is the name given to Jacob, grandson of Abraham, after he spends a night literally wrestling with God (Genesis 32: 22-32). Israel means to struggle with or contend with God. Jacob is in many ways a disobedient, treacherous, and fearful man. But he is also fully engaged with God. Jacob faithfully struggles to become that which God intended.

Waiting in hope is not passive. This is an active, awake, and engaged struggle to be with God.

Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to you, when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I; for you are my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. (Psalm 61:1-3)

An enemy is a common character in the psalms. Occasionally the enemy is a foreign army. But more often the enemy is a neighbor, a fellow believer, even someone who was recently considered a friend.

There are several Hebrew words that can mean enemy. Enemy as sane' means one who hates. Enemy as tsar suggests the source of troubles caused by being tightly bound. Enemy as 'ar is that which causes one to be aroused from sleep. In this psalm the enemy is 'ayab which refers to hostile acts.

Jesus taught, "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you, and persecute you." (Matthew 5: 44) This teaching is a much higher rock.