How precious is your steadfast love, O God! All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. (Psalm 36: 7-9)

In many churches today is the last day of Epiphany. This season of celebration comes to a close and a season of preparation for Easter begins tomorrow.

For many generations this Tuesday before Ash Wednesday was a time when Christians finished whatever fatty meats or cheese or butter they might have left in their larder. As a result it came to be known as Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras in French. It could be a great mid-winter feast. Along much of the Mediterreanean - and cultures with colonial ties to the Mediterreanean - Fat Tuesday is the conclusion of a long season of Carnival.

In less exuberant cultures this is also known as Shrove Tuesday. Shrove is an archaic term for absolution. Traditionally this is a day for confession, absolution, and celebrating the love, abundance, and delights of God.

Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Relieve the troubles of my heart, and bring me out of my distress. Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins. (Psalm 25: 16-18)

Many years ago I was teaching Western Literature to a class of Asians in Asia. The Bible as literature was an element of the course. There was no religious purpose to the instruction. But there was a need to understand the authors' audience and purpose.

A student asked the question: "Does this mean that Christians and Jews believe these words still mean something to their everyday life?" My affirmative response prompted sounds of amazement. An interesting discussion followed. I found myself giving nuance to my quick and simple yes answer. But evenso the class of largely non-religious students was amazed.

God - the one who exists - is with us. We are - or have the opportunity to be - in relationship now. This relationship is not just a pathway to the next life. It is the foundation of how we will live today.

Above is Dialogue on Existence by Vieira da Silva.

I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! (Psalm 27: 12-14)

The verb qavah is commonly translated as wait. But it is a particular kind of waiting. It is to be hopeful, expectant, actively and eagerly looking.

Other passive forms of wait are much more common in scripture. Qavah is, however, favored by the Psalms and Isaiah. In these scriptures to qavah is clearly an active sacrament and a source strengthening. Isaiah writes, Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary. (40:31)

In English we sometimes refer to serving as "waiting on." The mother waits on her child. The waiter serves those dining. The one who is waiting actively responds to and creatively serves the object of his or her eager attention. Waiting is watching carefully and acting quickly on what is seen.

By the rivers of Babylon— there we sat down and there we wept when we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung up our harps. For there our captors asked us for songs, and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying, 'Sing us one of the songs of Zion!’ (Psalm 137: 1-3)

In approximately 586 BC the Kingdom of Judah, the last independent Jewish state, was conquered by the Neo-Babylonians. The political, religious, and social leadership was exiled to the enemy's capital where they remained until the Babylonians were overturned by the rising Persian state nearly fifty years later.

The Babylonian Captivity is seen by many scholars as crucial to shaping subsequent Jewish identity. Rather than being assimilated, the Jewish elite in exile responded with a burst of religious and literary creativity. During this period many of the historical scriptures (Joshua, Judges, Kings, and Samuel) were completed, the Torah was edited into close to its current form, and new works including Lamentations, Second Isaiah, and Ezekiel were produced.

How are we to respond to utter defeat and devastation? Some will lose hope and linger to die. Others preserve their hope and express it in anger. A creative and loving God gives us the ability to respond with creativity and love.

Answer me quickly, O Lord; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me, or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit. Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning, for in you I put my trust. Teach me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. Save me, O Lord, from my enemies; I have fled to you for refuge. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Let your good spirit lead me on a level path. (Psalm 143: 7-10)

The psalms assigned for today abound with enemies. One of the more common Hebrew words for enemy is tsar. This is an enemy that constrains us, narrows us, puts us in a tight place.

We turn to God to be unbound.

Each of us have our own righteousness: the unique identity that we share with God. Each of us are meant to be a particular expression of God. Our enemies would constrain or destroy this righteousness.

Creative freedom is the way of ultimate reality.

The will of God is that each of us may find our original strength, purpose, and capacity for love. These are the foundations of what is truly real. We cannot be denied these gifts without our own connivance.

But we often need God's help to avoid surrendering to our enemies.

Above is Persephone by Thomas Hart Benton.

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)

Here to bless is barak rather than 'ashar. Both imply happiness. While ashar strongly implies movement and progress, barak is suggestive of kneeling and being restored.

Ashar is the blessing of growth. Barak is the blessing of rest. Both are needed.

The seed is planted in the cold earth. There it must be watered and warmed. It must wait in darkness. At the right time it will open and grow into the light.

Happy is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways. You shall eat the fruit of the labour of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall go well with you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house;your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord. The Lord bless you from Zion. May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. May you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel! (Psalm 128: 1-6)

In the Tanakh blessing is to experience growth. Happiness is to be creative. To be in relationship with God is to become especially fertile and productive. The parables of Jesus abound with seeds, good earth and bad, planting, growing, gathering, good fruit and bad.

Centuries later Hildegard of Bingen wrote, "The word is living, being, spirit, all verdant greening, all creativity. All creation awakened, called, by the resounding melody God's invocation of the word." Hildegard saw each of us as potential co-creators with God: "O Life-green finger of God, in you God has placed a garden. You reflect heaven's eminent radiance like a raised pillar. You are glorious as you perform God's deeds."

The very foundation of the universe - the divine word or logos - is unfolding creativity. To change, to grow, to create is to live. To do otherwise is to die. It is our fundamental nature to live abundantly.

Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper. The Lord is your shade on your right hand. (Psalm 121: 4-5)

In soccer the goal keeper - or simply the keeper - is the final defense. A strong team can play hard and do well but be undone by a groggy keeper.

Alternatively, a great keeper can save a very poor team. The adversary may be stronger in every way, but if the keeper defends every goal the keeper's team will not lose. A strong keeper gives a weak team a real opportunity to win.

Another translation: The one watching over those who struggle with God does not tire nor sleep. The one who exists is your protector. The one who exists will preserve your strength.

Above is Red Sea by Robert Motherwell.

Happy are those who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times. (Psalm 106: 3)

Another translation: How blessed are those who keep justice, who practice righteousness at all times.

To be blessed or happy is derived from the Hebrew verb ashar which means to make progress, to continue walking, or to advance along a straight path.

Such progress is the outcome of consistently fulfilling our individual purpose in a way that helpfully reflects and constructs good relationships.

My righteousness - the true self that God intends - is meant to be expressed and fulfilled.

How I live out my righteousness should be considerate of others, help others engage their own righteousness, and be an expression of God's love.

I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Save us, we beseech you, O Lord! O Lord, we beseech you, give us success! ...You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God, I will extol you. O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures for ever. (Psalm 118: 21-25, 28-29)

The God of Moses, Isaiah, and Jesus is full of surprise and paradox. Our God delights in upending common sense. Our God undoes our typical definition of success and gives it sacramental meaning. Our God listens to our prayers and answers in ways we never anticipated.

Our God makes weakness a strength. Our God transforms physical poverty into spiritual prosperity. Our God takes death and fills it with light and life.

Those who the world has rejected God is ready to embrace and empower. Those on the edge of defeat God can inspire to victory. Those who have been defeated God can restore to honor, sacred memory, and transforming power.

Ours is a God of persistent, insistent, and encompassing love.

I will sing and make melody. Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn. I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples, and I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is higher than the heavens, and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. (Psalm 108: 1-4)

More than once I have been saved. For reasons beyond my understanding, I have been snatched from the precipice.

I have certainly given thanks. But I have never been quite as enthusiastic as the psalmist.

Instead I tend to collapse into exhaustion, trembling a bit in fear.

The exhaustion is a product of two exertions. Just doing my small part in the process has tested me in many ways. But even more challenging has been letting go, waiting, not doing, and allowing God to work.

Being vulnerable, accepting my dependence on God, and recognizing my own weakness: The non-doing of faithfulness is - for me - a very difficult discipline.

Some versions of the 108th psalm begin with "My heart is steadfast, O God." I cannot truthfully say that.

But I do acknowledge my absolute dependence on God for all that is good, true, and beautiful in my life. I do give thanks and praise.

And just as soon as I recover from being saved, I will give thanks and offer praise with as much boldness and joy as I can possibly muster. For your steadfast love is higher than the heavens, and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

Above is Precipice by Elisa Fogelman.

Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to an inhabited town; hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress; he led them by a straight way, until they reached an inhabited town. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind. For he satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things. (Psalm 107: 4-9)

The psalm also describes those who sat in dark and gloom, those who were sick, and those who were in a storm at sea. In each case they cried out to God and were saved.

It each case the appropropriate response is to give thanks for God's wonderful works and steadfast love and offer public praise.

Here wonderful works is the Hebrew verb pala': to be marvelous, to be wonderful, to be extraordinary.

Steadfast love is chesed: consistent goodness, kindness,and faithfulness.

In giving thanks for these fundamental aspects of God we acknowledge our dependence on God. The Creator of the universe loves you and me. That is certainly cause for wonder.

We can choose to reject this love or merely ignore it. But if we accept it fully and truly we are healed, saved, rescued, fed, and liberated.

In a full relationship with God we can find and claim our whole self.

Thank you God.

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 judgements he has uttered, O offspring of his servant Abraham, children of Jacob, his chosen ones. (Psalm 105: 1-6)

The psalm then recounts the stories of Joseph and Moses, giving particular emphasis to the miracles.

Our English word miracle derives from the Latin miraculum which is "to wonder at." A miracle is something that provokes consideration and appreciation.

The Hebrew mowpheth is translated above as wonderful works and miracles. The Hebrew is derived from yaphah which is to be beautiful, bright, or fair.

In our deepest Indo-European roots there is also semeion or sign. This is not, as far as I can tell, linguistically related to miracle. But miracles are often interpreted as signals of God's intention. I may prefer the separation of miracle and sign.

Each day, many times a day, I encounter the wonderful. Yesterday daffodils were peaking through the earth. This morning the moon was covered in a soft gauze of cloud.

Today I will be the recipient of many miracles. May I be sufficiently aware to notice. May I take the opportunity to wonder.

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 cannot imagine ever attaining the blameless way. My motivations are confused. My judgment is often wrong. My behavior is inconsistent.

Another translation of the second verse is, "I will give careful consideration to the way that leads to wholeness. When will you come with me?" This I can imagine. When God is with me - when I allow God to lead me - then I might walk this path if only for a moment.

I will compose the music of love (chesed) and justice (mishpat). I will sing these songs. Help me to live this life.

Above is Love Song by Sena Tidwell.

If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence. When I thought, ‘My foot is slipping’, your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. (Psalm 94: 17-19)

Another translation offers, "When my anxious thoughts (saraph) multiply within me..." The Hebrew saraph is closely related to sareeph which means ambivalence or divided. When I am uncertain God comforts me by clarifying my purpose.

The verb translated above as cheer can also mean to blind oneself or smear over. In many situations God's sense of purpose obscures the sources of division and ambivalence. God's comfort and care reduces my anxiety and gives me direction.

Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like the watercourses in the Negeb. May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves. (Psalm 126: 4-6)

Recovering from illness, restoring freedom, reclaiming confidence are good cause for special joy. We often do not fully appreciate what we have until we lose it.

Returning from a state of deprivation to a more balanced and sustainable condition is worth a celebration.

Restore what we have lost. Give us a second-chance to recognize its value. Help us to fully appreciate what we have today.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. (Psalm 46: 1-3)

Tsunami, earthquake, hurricane, plague, pandemic.

Betrayal, separation, suspicion, mistrust, hatred.

We face many troubles: natural, accidental, and intentional.

I do not perceive that God intends any of the troubles. But a universe where there is freedom will also feature randomness, choice, and consequences.

In our intentional response to troubles we may join with God or not. We are free to choose.

Above is a wonderful photograph of uncertain provenance. As with the supposed Dali below, I am seeking to confirm who captured this waters roar.

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

The psalmist suggests our handiwork will be confirmed if we remember:

Our lives are short.

We are prone to error.

We need to be in relationship with God.

In the humility of need we will most often find the strength of God.

The righteous flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. In old age they still produce fruit; they are always green and full of sap, showing that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him. (Psalm 92: 12-15)

The first heart-felt prayer I can remember was when I was nine or ten. I asked God to preserve my imagination and creativity. In the prayer I referenced others - many adults - who seemed to have left behind these childlike attributes.

God answered my prayer. I am not yet truly old, but I am certainly no longer young. Having the gift is sometimes a challenge. What was "full of sap" in a ten-year-old, or even at twenty-five, can just seem sticky in a fifty-year-old. I can sometimes see what others do not see. They may think I am delusional. I may think they are blind.

Thank you God for such an extraordinary gift. Work with me to ensure your gift continues to produce good fruit.

Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere your name. I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name for ever. For great is your steadfast love towards me; you have delivered my soul from the depths. (Psalm 86: 11-13)

Attention, focus, and commitment are needed for achievement in many areas of life: sports, business, marriage, and more.

Give me an undivided heart. The Hebrew is yachad. Join, unite, make whole my true self.

I will give thanks with my whole heart. The Hebrew is kol. This is derived from kalal meaning to complete or make perfect.

Too often we are uncertain and unfocused. Too often our motivations are mixed. Oh God, please make me whole.

Make whole my true self. Make whole my heart. Bring me into your shalom.

Above is Wholeness by Paul Morin. To the left is Cosmic Egg by Hildegard von Bingen.

Our steps are made firm by the Lord, when he delights in our way; though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the Lord holds us by the hand. (Psalm 37: 23-24)

One of the pleasures of this daily meditation is the emergence of unexpected connections. Over the last few days near at hand, out of hand, and holding hands have all been used to express our relationship with God.

There are many Hebrew words that can be translated as hand. Today the source word is yad. This is one of the most common Hebrew words for the human hand. But in some contexts it can also mean strength, courage, direction, and power.

To offer our hand is often the beginning of a relationship. To walk holding hands is an act of significant intimacy. In illness, sadness, and death we hold the hand of those for whom we care. I certainly need and appreciate the hand of God.

In spite of all this they still sinned; they did not believe in his wonders. So he made their days vanish like a breath, and their years in terror. When he killed them, they sought for him; they repented and sought God earnestly. They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer. But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues. Their heart was not steadfast towards him; they were not true to his covenant. Yet he, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them; often he restrained his anger, and did not stir up all his wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and does not come again. (Psalm 78:32-39)

According to the psalmist the punishment of those who continued to sin and not believe was to be killed. Harag is the Hebrew verb. God killed them. Yet they - presumably the survivors - were redeemed.

This is almost certainly how most speakers of Hebrew would have heard or read the passage. Harag most commonly means to kill, destroy, murder, slaughter. Given the typical use of harag, this is probably the intent of the psalmist.

But the word can also mean - less commonly - to be "out of hand." Without undue violence to the text, we might render the Hebrew as, "Since they were out of hand, they sought for him." For me this use of harag is more consistent with the redeeming, compassionate, and restrained God then described.

Jesus said the Kingdom of God is at hand. But we can choose to be out of hand.

I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, that he may hear me. In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted. I think of God, and I moan; I meditate, and my spirit faints. You keep my eyelids from closing; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I consider the days of old, and remember the years of long ago. I commune with my heart in the night; I meditate and search my spirit: Will the Lord spurn for ever, and never again be favourable? Has his steadfast love ceased for ever? 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: 1-9)

Night can nourish anxiety. The distractions of the day recede. Descending into sleep our defenses fall. Our worries may rise up. We can be shaken awake - or trapped in a troubled slumber - having been captured by our deepest fears.

Fear and anxiety are the children of lack of control and desire for control. One of these parents - the desire for control - is troubled and conflicted. He tends to forget the past, undervalue the present, and worry too much about the future. The other parent - lack of control - enjoys sharing old memories, embraces the present, and approaches the future with hope.

The psalmist reaches out to the second parent. In the succeeding verses he recalls how she has been with him in the past and has transformed his grief into celebration. He writes, "It is my grief that the right hand of the Most High has changed." This grief, chalah, can mean a self-generated sickness. Seeking control creates unnecessary worry. Embracing lack of control can be a source of hope.

I am almost certain the image above is from a painting by Salvador Dali. But I am continuing to seek confirmation.

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)

Ancient Hebrew does not have a future tense (nor really a past and present). The language is not organized around time, as are most Western languages (and even modern Hebrew). Instead verbs indicate whether action is completed or not yet completed. "He is coming" captures this aspect of Hebrew, the action is ongoing.

In English we can use tense to imply something will be present in the future that is not yet present. This is more difficult in ancient Hebrew. In the last line of the psalm above the use of "will" gives the psalm a sense of the future that is not fully coherent with the Hebrew. Verbal form in Hebrew focuses instead on whether or not the action is continuing. "He is judging" is more consistent with the original.

God is coming. God is judging. God is acting. The verb continues. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, is unfolding, is becoming, is acting in the present. The God of Jesus and his forebearers is a great and continuing verb.

While I do not understand how or why, my post for Saturday, February 4 has disappeared. It is still accessible using the search function, but does not appear on the index. Below is what was posted yesterday.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 04, 2006

I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! (Psalm 27: 13-14)

Billions pray, "thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

Jesus taught, "the kingdom of God is at hand" (Mark 1:15). The Greek implies something already present, something that can be embraced, or is embracing us.

The psalmist expects the goodness - joy, prosperity, and beauty - of God in the here and now. God is that which exists (or acts or chooses) in the past, now, and in the future.

The psalmist urges us to wait. But it is possible that God - and all that God intends - is already with us.God is waiting for us to see, to recognize, and to accept the beauty of God that has already been given to us. The wait is over.

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

When we are not happy with our situation we treat others badly. We tend not to like change. Even positive change can make us grumpy or worse.

The embittered (chamets) of the psalm is to be made sour as when yeast is added to flour. This is, of course, what makes bread rise.

Yeast takes time to work. With care and patience the bitterness is transformed in bread, in beer, and even in our heart.

Above is is a microscopic view of recrystallized extract from bread provided by Molecular Expressions.

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God. (Psalm 43: 5)

What we know and what we feel can be in conflict. The explicit and implicit are often wary of one another.

In this psalm the appetites and emotion (nephesh) have lost confidence in God. The psalmist writes of a growling, murmuring, sometimes roaring commotion within him. He feels rejected.

But while the feeling is real, the psalmist knows this is not reality. He knows that God is steadfast and whole, even as we are often inconsistent and of two (or more) minds.

O send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God. (Psalm 43: 3-4)

I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. (Psalm 32: 8)

For the first seven verses of this psalm the first person pronoun clearly refers to David. Most translators read the eighth verse as shifting to the voice of God.

It is probably so. But it is a jarring transition - really no transition at all.

Another translation might have it read: I will be attentive (sakal) and aim (yarah) to walk (halak) the right path (derek); I will be purposeful (ya'ats) in focusing my intention ('ayin).

While we must certainly trust in God, the alternative translation highlights that we must also do our part to be in relationship with God.

The Hebrew for Psalm 32:8 can be viewed at Studylight.org. A helpful review of Hebrew pronouns is available at soffernet.com.