You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide the people with grain, for so you have prepared it. You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges,softening it with showers, and blessing its growth. You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with richness. The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy. (Psalm 65: 9-13)

In prior generations our role as co-creators with God was easier to perceive. Dependence on the natural world led early humans to perceive that the divine was immanent. This remains a common aspect of religious inspiration.

A hundred or more generations went by before we began to understand the possibility of a transcendent God. But still, we experienced God in daily life, we understood that God worked through humans, most humans could not imagine an existence without God.

But today - at least in the modern West - most of us are detached from nature and perceive we are largely self-created. The ideology of individualism is sufficiently strong to complicate every relationship and especially a dependent relationship with a loving God.

People of faith are called to relationship. We find that apart from God there is no meaning or purpose or joy. We find that only in relationship with God does our individuality make sense. We find that only in working with God is our work able to be truly fruitful.

Dear God, thank you for visiting the earth. May I be a good, generous, and attentive host. May I set aside my plans in order to be with you.

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully. They will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of their salvation. (Psalm 24: 3-5)

Some perceive a progressive revelation of God. In this view over the generations God has gradually allowed humankind to come into a fuller understanding of God's character, purposes, and intention.

Others perceive that God has changed. In their view God has responded creatively to human behavior, developing new principles and different processes for achieving the same purposes.

I am inclined to perceive that God has been consistent but we have failed to accurately understand and have often mischaracterized God. We constantly do this with each other.

In the Old Testament there are two paths to God. One is a path of sacrifice, observing the law, and earning merit. The other emphasizes thankfulness, love, and being in relationship.

Jesus walked and taught this second path. Despite knowing this and preferring this, I am still sometimes drawn to the first path. Dear God, bring me to and keep me on your path.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies; you stretch out your hand, and your right hand delivers me. The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures for ever. (Psalm 138: 7-8)

There are several Hebrew words that can mean hand and most simply mean hand. But the Hebrew here is yad. This is hand as an instrument of power, strength, productivity, and creativity.

The psalmist emphasizes that not only is God's hand extended to us, but it is the right hand or yamiyn. This is the feminine form: gentle, nurturing, and caring. This hand does not cast lightening bolts, but sooths and comforts.

I especially like the phrase, "The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me." But the original Hebrew is Yehovah gamar ba'ad. This can also be translated as "the Lord will carry through to the end." Does this suggest being with us whether or not we make the choices leading to fulfillment?

Above is Cosmic Hand by Douglas Blair.

But surely, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life. He will repay my enemies for their evil. In your faithfulness, put an end to them. With a freewill-offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good. For he has delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies. (Psalm 54: 4-7)

Recently I sat across from a faithful and capable man who - with modern phrases - might have been quoting these verses. In this case his troubles are my troubles and his deliverence would be my deliverence.

I was humbled by his confidence in God's personal care. My response was something similar to "If so, for me, it would be an extraordinary example of grace because I do not deserve it." He seemed surprised by this response and gently argued otherwise.

My troubles are nothing compared to millions of others. Compared to others my troubles are blessings. My sin is no less than millions of others. Compared to the hungry and orphaned children of a dozen wars I have no special claim to God's attention.

I was surprised by my friend's argument that I might deserve grace, and the implication that he, too, might deserve it. I have not earned God's grace. I can accept that Jesus earned this grace for me, but that is very different than deserving it.

Yet I am certainly, if reluctantly, a recipient of God's grace. The reluctance is a problem. This is pride disguised as humility. This is a continued effort to be in control rather than defer to God's intention for me. This is an impediment to being in full relationship with God.

Teach me wisdom in my secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. (Psalm 51: 6-10)

But truly God has listened; he has given heed to the words of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me. (Psalm 66: 19-20)

To be heard, truly heard, and fully understood is unusual. Linguists have found that - at best - listeners only understand about 70 percent of what is said. The typical level of understanding is much lower.

To speak of our greatest fear, deepest shame, or profound sadness and not just be understood but accepted, respected, and loved is a source of healing and courage. Some have suggested that careful hearing was the means for many of the miracles of Jesus.

Surely God listens. But we must choose to speak. Surely it is God's intention that we each listen carefully to one another. As Jesus said so often, "if anyone has ears to hear, let them hear."

The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love; teach me your statutes. You have dealt well with your servant, O Lord, according to your word. Teach me good judgement and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments. (Psalm 119: 63-66)

I want to know the rules for living. Even more I want to understand God's intention for those rules. I ask for good judgement and knowledge in order to fully and properly engage the rules and God's intention.

The Bible begins with rules and over the course of centuries gives increasing attention to the principles behind the rules. The principles were always explicit, but it is almost as if God discovered that humanity - when given a choice - prefers rules to the exclusion of principles. When given the chance we will ignore the principles behind the rules and apply the rules in accordance with our own preferences.

At the Last Supper Jesus said to his disciples, "A new commandment I give you, that you love one another as I have loved you." Just before his death as a culmination of his ministry Jesus emphasized the rule has no benefit separated from its principle. The final rule and the ultimate principle is to love.

Above is Understanding Life by Javier Lopez Barbosa

Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Which of you desires life, and covets many days to enjoy good? Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. (Psalm 34: 11-14)

War, famine, disease, tsunami, earthquake, hurricane and much more threaten us. There are malevolent men and women who delight in evil. There are satanic forces that we may confront only with God's help.

But for millions the source of suffering is not the stuff of headlines or history, but instead results from the envy, rumors, unloving criticism, disdain, neglect, and abuse of family and neighbors. The pain caused by evil tongues is often the origin of even greater evils.

May we listen more and say less. When we speak may we be loving, affirming, and encouraging. Whatever we say and do may we seek peace, wholeness, and the intention of God.

But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God for ever and ever. I will thank you for ever, because of what you have done. In the presence of the faithful I will proclaim your name, for it is good. (Psalm 52: 8-9)

Today's psalms are full of wicked victories, betrayals, plots, mischief, and evil. Today's gospel lesson is Jesus at Gethsemane asking that the cup of crucifixion be allowed to pass from him.

I perceive that humankind might have chosen to accept Jesus and what a wholly different life we would now be living. I perceive that Jesus might have chosen to put aside or never take up his ministry. What a wholly different life we would now be living. But Jesus prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want."

Jesus was like a green olive tree deeply rooted in God's purpose. Even on the edge of an unjust and torturous death Jesus not only deferred to God's will but gave thanks for it.

O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. (Psalm 63: 1)

Tradition says that David wrote this psalm while hiding in the wilderness of Judah. It was in this same wilderness that John the Baptist prophesied. It was to here that Jesus came after his baptism and was tempted by Satan.

I am inclined to take water for granted. In my life water has always been plentiful, clean, and basically free. Water is essential to my survival. It cleanses, cools, and serves me in many ways, most of which I barely notice. Many others on this planet are not so fortunate.

The analogy is, perhaps, too easy. But do I treat God any better than I treat water? With the next long bath or tall glass or steady rain will I give thanks? Will I recognize and take responsibility for a relationship on which my life depends?

Like David I am more likely to notice water when there is drought. When I have taken myself far from the sources of water, then I will notice its absense. When I am in desperate need of what I have taken for granted, then I am mindful of it.

Dear God, make me mindful in both prosperity and poverty. Help me to see how your grace is all about me, sustaining me, and calling to me. May I drink of your waters with thanksgiving and praise.

As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God? (Psalm 42: 1-2)

Freud theorized that our fundamental motivation is to reproduce. Nietzche argued that we have a will to power. There are many explanations for our human condition.

I thirst for God. Sometimes I mistake this as a thirst for something else. Human intimacy - both sexual and non-sexual - is analogous to intimacy with God. If I find God and follow God into human intimacy, it can be a pathway to the divine. But if I mistake a potentially helpful analogy for a fundamental reality I will never satisfy my thirst.

In all that I seek, may I first seek the will of God and do my best to commit myself to that underlying relationship.

Today many churches recall the life and ministry of Mary of Magdala, the first witness of the resurrection. Her life has recently experienced an explosion of interest. Two places to begin learning more are www.magdalene.org and the Catholic Encyclopedia.

My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors. Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love. (Psalm 31: 15-16)

Some suggest that time is a human creation and largely an illusion.

In this psalm "my times" is the Hebrew 'eth meaning much the same as the English time. 'Eth is derived from the 'ad which means continuing future, perpetuity, forever.

The human experience of time is, usually, as something limited or something to be managed. Sometimes we can even come to perceive time as the enemy.

God's time is infinite, inexhaustible, always unfolding, never closing, and always producing new possibilities.

Perhaps time is a creation of God, but - as with so many of God's gifts - we have misunderstood and misused time.

More on time is available at The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their refuge in the time of trouble. The Lord helps them and rescues them; he rescues them from the wicked, and saves them, because they take refuge in him. (Psalm 37: 39-40)

God can protect and deliver those who choose to live in a manner coherent with God's intention.

I perceive that the choice is more important than the coherence. If our choice is true, God is very indulgent of inconsistent and erroneous execution.

When we choose to trust in God - the Hebrew can also mean hope in God - this allows God to work with us and through us.

God is quick and generous in responding to our openness.

Choosing to walk with and trust in God is the way we invite God to enter into our lives with power and grace.

Above is a tapestry entitled Rescue by Lynne McIlvride Evans.

Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes, and I will observe it to the end. Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. Turn my heart to your decrees, and not to selfish gain. Turn my eyes from looking at vanities; give me life in your ways. (Psalm 119: 33-37)

Can I honestly ask for what the psalmist asks?

Teach me your statutes. I am open to teaching. Give me understanding. Yes, that would be good.

So that I may keep the law of God with my whole heart. Give myself wholly to the law of God? What does that mean?

Lead me on your path. Well... where will your path lead me? Turn my heart from selfish gain. I don't want to be selfish, but toward what purpose will I turn?

Turn my eyes from vanities. The Hebrew is shav' meaning emptiness, nothingness, illusion, ephemera. Well, if you put it that way, of course. But I have a foreboding that when specific vanities are on the table I might not be so agreeable.

Be careful, we are told, for what we pray. When I often pray, "thy kingdom come, thy will be done." Do I really mean it? What if I prayed for this with full intention, purpose, and will?

Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard the sound of my pleadings. The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. (Psalm 28: 6-7)

I am helped because God has listened. I exult because God has heard.

This is the Hebrew shama. This is the physical act of hearing, but it is also to listen attentively, to understand, and to consent.

Because I have confidence that God has listened I am strengthened. I feel empowered and enboldened.

God listens. I trust. In faith and trust I am given the courage to undertake what God intends.

I must also listen to God. May I shama.

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. (Psalm 92:12- 14)

The palm tree lives long and well even in the middle of the desert. From the rocky crags of the mountain the great cedars of Lebanon extend their reach. The righteous likewise flourish in adversity because their roots are close to God. Like these great trees we are to reach down to our foundations. In our origins with God we will find what is needed to continue flexible, flowing, and fruitful.

Above is an early 20th Century painting of a Marionite Christian festival taking place around a Cedar of Lebanon (artist unknown)

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host! Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars!Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created. He established them for ever and ever; he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed. (Psalm 148: 1-6)

We are to boast about God. We are to brag about God. In Middle English boast is closely related to brag. Originally brag was an adjective not a verb. Something was brag when it was exceptionally fine. God is very brag.

We are to praise God. The Hebrew is halal which can also be to act madly or as a fool. We are to fall madly in love with God. We are to lose our senses, even lose ourselves in our love for God. We are to receive God's love with abandon.

Halal also means to shine or flash. We are to demonstrate our love for God and confidence in God in how we conduct ourselves. We should be as mirrors reflecting heavenly light. In us others should perceive the light of God.

May he grant you your heart’s desire, and fulfil all your plans. May we shout for joy over your victory, and in the name of our God set up our banners. May the Lord fulfil all your petitions. (Psalm 20: 4-5)

The psalmist has put into words what is all too often my own understanding. I come into relationship with God pursuing my own plans.

With anyone whom we truly love there is a readiness to put aside our plan for their plan, forsake our heart's desire for theirs. In a healthy relationship there is a mutual helpfulness and shared commitment to being with the other in fulfilling his or her potential. We certainly may come into the relationship with plans and desires. But in an alchemy of loving one another these plans and desires are transformed. If this is our experience in earthly love, would it not be even moreso in our relationship with God?

Dear God, enable me to know your intention, help me to fulfill your plan for me and this world. May we shout for joy in knowing and doing your will. May we fulfill all your teachings.

You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures for evermore. (Psalm 16:11)

Apart from God I am lost, confused, and unhappy. Yet there have been many days - perhaps weeks - when I have chosen to separate myself from God.

Most of the time I am not so much separated as just not paying attention. It is a bit like walking with a spouse, child, or friend and suddenly realizing you have no idea what they just said.

God is due my attention. When I am truly present with God and engaged in a real relationship with God I am more alive, more fulfilled, and much more myself.

Above is Sacred Path by Angelo Mazzoleni.

The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation. (Psalm 18: 46)

In the Eighteenth Psalm David is feeling especially full of himself. His pride, arrogance, and aggressiveness pour off the page. But the saving grace of this most complex of saints was David's real and deep relationship with God. In defeat or in victory, at his most rational or his most delusional, David lived with God.

For who is God except the Lord? And who is a rock besides our God?— the God who girded me with strength, and made my way safe. He made my feet like the feet of a deer, and set me secure on the heights. He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand has supported me; your help has made me great. You gave me a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip. I pursued my enemies and overtook them; and did not turn back until they were consumed. (Psalm 18:31-37)

I am convinced that David often misunderstood God's intention. David often applied his great gifts and fulsome faith to purposes that God despised. Scripture recounts that David was not allowed to build the temple because of his bloody deeds. But God forgave and loved David, despite his profound errors - and David knew and received this love and forgiveness because of his total openness to God.

I am surely as error-prone as David. I may avoid his most aggressive and murderous sins. But in comparison with God's intention and the potential God has given me, my sins of omission are at least as grave as those David boldly committed.

Do I live with God, as David clearly did? This is a crucial question. I will never be so sufficient in wisdom and love that I might avoid sin. But in a full relationship with God even my failures can be transformed. In relationship with God, my misunderstandings and mistakes are not just forgiven, they can become a source of healing, creating, and loving.

Dear God, I am inclined to judge David. Help me instead to learn from him.

With my whole heart I seek you; do not let me stray from your commandments. I treasure your word in my heart, so that I may not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes. With my lips I declare all the ordinances of your mouth. I delight in the way of your decrees as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts, and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. (Psalm 119: 10-16)

A good friend recently called the Bible our "rule book. " As today's psalmist suggests there are many different kinds of rules.

Commandment - mitzvah - to order, to charge, to empower.

Word - 'imrah - promise, saying, sometimes also a command.

Statute - 'choq - prescribed action, specific instruction, rule.

Ordinance - mishpat - judgment, decision, plan of action.

Decree - 'eduwth - testimony, story, warning.

Precept - piqquwd - observation, visitation, principle.

Way - 'orach - direction, journey, way of living.

The Talmud teaches that the are 613 rules in the Torah, the first five books of the Bible.

When Jesus was growing up two great rabbis argued over how these rules should be applied. Rabbi Shammai, perhaps president of the Sanhedrin (Chief Religious Council) at the time of the crucifixion, was very much a stickler for detail. Rabbi Hillel, his predecessor as president, had taught, "What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow man. This is the entire Torah, all of it. Go and study it."

Jesus made a positive principle of Hillel's teaching: "Do unto others as you would have them do to you."

For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil will not sojourn with you. The boastful will not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful. But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down towards your holy temple in awe of you. Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me. (Psalm 6:4-8)

Francis S. Collins, a distinguished geneticist, has written The Language of God. This one-time atheist explains how he arrived at faith through reason. I have not yet read the book.

A review in the Washington Post's Book World is complimentary. But the reviewer does complain, "Why God permits the suffering of innocents is a puzzle Collins does not pretend to solve, although he speculates, following C.S. Lewis, that we may need to suffer in order to learn." (The complete review is available here.)

The innocent suffer because the children of God fail in our responsibilty. God has given us freedom to choose. God has given us the power to create. God will actively support our creative choosing. But we often fail even to make a choice. We neglect the needs of the innocent. We are distracted and leave the choosing to those with evil purpose.

God is ready to right the wrongs of the world. God is ready to destroy the sources of evil. God is ready to intervene: using you and me as agents of love and justice. But it is our choice.

Dear God I bring before you the decisions of this day. Please make clear to me your way. Please give me the wisdom, courage, humility, and love to make choices that allow me and others to advance on your way. Make your way straight before me.

Above is Circle Limit III by M.C. Escher. This is a study in hyperbolic geometry where each fish is following a straight line.

O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous, you who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God. (Psalm 7: 9)

I am not well-acquainted with evil. I know neglect, distraction, selfishness, carelessness, and stupidity. Each of these are regular sources of trouble and pain. But they lack the intention, cunning, and strength of the truly wicked.

At least from afar there seems to be a pattern to which evil conforms. Considering Hitler, Stalin, Idi Amin, Pol Pot, and Osama bin-Laden I notice that each was empowered by a sense victimization. Each sought vengeance against their oppressors. Each was inspired by a transcendent vision. Each was able to twist that vision to justify their evil. Each saw themselves as executors of a righteous cause.

Jesus taught us to forgive those who oppress us. Jesus taught us to love our enemies. Forgiveness and love are the best ways to ensure we do not contribute to evil. May forgiveness and love be strongly established. May we pass the test.

Praise the Lord! Happy are those who fear the Lord, who greatly delight in his commandments. Their descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures for ever. They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright; they are gracious, merciful, and righteous. (Psalm 112: 1-4)

Happiness is the outcome of honoring God, taking delight in God's instruction, and behaving with grace, mercy, and righteousness.

To be gracious - the Hebrew is channuwn - is to be considerate of others and to be sympathetic to the condition of others.

To have mercy - the Hebrew is rachuwn - is to be compassionate, to empathize, to engage another on their own terms.

To be righteous - the Hebrew is tsaddiyq - is to be consistent, to be just, and to have integrity.

Our happiness is an outcome of how we order our relationship with God and with others. I am not so confident in the psalmist's promise of wealth and family power. But the promise of good progress, blessings, and happiness these are surely the fruits of grace, mercy, and righteousness.

You have made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting. You make darkness, and it is night, when all the animals of the forest come creeping out. The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God. When the sun rises, they withdraw and lie down in their dens. People go out to their work and to their labour until the evening. (Psalm 104: 19-23)

There are two contradictory traditions in scripture regarding work. In one - perhaps better known - labor is a punishment for eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge.

In the other tradition work is a gift. Just as the sun is meant to rise and the lion to roar, men and women are meant to work. The masculine noun is po'al, translated above as work. The feminine noun is 'abodah, translated above as labour.

The Hebrew can also be translated as to create and to serve. A recent study of happiness found that two of the most important preconditions of happiness are the opportunity to create and the experience of voluntarily serving others.

Work can be a punishment. In certain contexts the same words can mean to be as slaves. In too many cases work is not creative and it does not serve others. When work is only drudgery and merely self-serving it is a source of oppression.

This psalm begins with a vision of God working. Our work is to be a reflection of God's work. In creating and serving we are able to contribute to the fulfillment of God's intention for each of us and the whole of the universe.

Above is The Universe at a Glance by Painted Universe, Inc.

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. For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life. In your righteousness bring me out of trouble. In your steadfast love cut off my enemies, and destroy all my adversaries, for I am your servant. (Psalm 143: 9-12)

The psalmist is threatened by enemies (ayab) and adversaries (tsarar). The translator has, in my opinion, softened the language. The final verse might be understood to say "annihilate my enemies, and exterminate all my adversaries." The verbs are violent in the extreme.

The psalm is not explicit, but we assume these are external threats.

I cannot call any other person an enemy. I am not aware of anyone who actively seeks to harm me. There are others who frustrate me. They are inconsistent, fail to keep their promises, are negligent, and misleading. They complicate my life and from time-to-time present a real threat.

But there is no one who has purposefully "crushed my life to the ground."

My greatest adversaries are internal. Fear, doubt, selfishness, anger and their cousins are my enemies. These enemies are beyond my strength. To be freed from these threats I must depend on God. Only God's love can cut off the influence of these evil powers.

For the Lord will vindicate his people, and have compassion on his servants. (Psalm 135: 14)

In other translations the verse reads that the Lord will judge his people. The Hebrew - diyn - suggests a leader, a master, someone who decides.

Nacham or compassion will influence the deciding. The decision will be comforting or consoling.

To receive God's compassion we must be servants of God, those who work for God and are ready to accept the decision of God.

Let my cry come before you, O Lord; give me understanding according to your word. (Psalm 119:169)

In Hebrew the second clause is Yahovah biyn dabar. This is probably too simple, but my preferred translation would be "God give me understanding of your word."

Dabar can also mean command, warning, threat, speech, song, act or occupation. To understand God's word is to understand a great deal.

According to the gospel of John, God created the universe with a word. Help me to hear and understand.

Above is Logos by Lee Hodges.

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)

Scripture does not promise a life of ease. The prophets preach struggle more than success. The life of Jesus is not a model of painless contemplation.

But God is a source of renewal, redemption, and restoration. With God we can make meaning of failure. With God we can find the courage to continue the struggle.

With God we abide the drought and keep hope with the season ahead. With God we can be confident in our purpose, sure of God's help, and have faith in an ultimate outcome consistent with God's intention.

They angered the Lord at the waters of Meribah, and it went ill with Moses on their account; for they made his spirit bitter, and he spoke words that were rash. (Psalm 106: 32-33)

God was angered - qatsaph is the Hebrew - at Meribah (Exodus 17: 7). The Hebrew can encompass a range of feeling from mild displeasure to full fury. The specific attitude of God is not clear.

But the story of Moses at Meribah is well-known. Moses joined God in being angry. Moses was frustrated and impatient at the constant contentiousness of his people.

God may have been angry, but God also recognized the thirst of the people. God instructed Moses in how to satisfy their thirst. But before doing so Moses behaved rashly in expressing his anger and, according to some scholars, acting in a self-justifying manner inconsistent with God's purposes.

As a result of his bitter behavior at Meribah, God did not allow Moses to enter the Promised Land. God continued to love and bless Moses. But God also held Moses accountable for angry and impatient action.

Even God experiences qatsaph. But God is wise enough to not allow anger to inform action. God holds us accountable but in love not anger.

You open your hand, satisfying the desire of every living thing. The Lord is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. (Psalm 145: 16-18)

Fundamental to my understanding of God is restraint. I perceive and experience a God who does not insist, does not intervene, does not interfere unless there is an invitation.

With an invitation God can be very active, but only as long as we remain open to God. Like a good guest or friend God will not remain any longer than we want.

The psalmist affirms that God is near "to all who call on him in truth." When we invite another we are to behave as a good host: lively, generous, caring, open, and giving.

Above is Calling by Patrick Burke.

He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord. (Psalm 33: 5)

In Hebrew to be righteous is to have just cause, to behave justly toward others, and to be fully consistent and coherent with God's intention.

Because we are created in God's image we have just cause. To behave justly toward others is to extend them the love that God has extended to us.

God loves. God intends for us to love. In loving God and our neighbor we fulfill the intention for which we were created.