A PSALM PRAYER IN OUR CHANGING WORLD

Psalm 31:1-5, 19-24

You are indeed my rock and my fortress; for your name’s

sake lead me and guide me. — Psalm 31:3

The lectionary suggests we read this psalm in light of the Deuteronomy story of preparing Israel to live in a changing future.  They were moving through the wilderness and headed for a completely new life in the Promised Land. They were called to trust God, but they did not know what the future held or what the rules of living in this new context would be.

THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGING

We can hear this as a prayer for us as we live in a time of constant change. Whether it be the challenge of science, communication, economics, or church, it is clear that we are experiencing changes that confront us with totally new choices.

Our prayer to God is that we might discover blessings and avoid the curses of this new territory that is before us. The constant for us is God. “In you, O Lord, I seek refuge; do not let me be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me.”

GUIDANCE IN THE UNFAMILIAR

The prayer is for guidance in unfamiliar territory. We know that the choices we face because of advances in DNA are like a minefield full of explosive possibilities, so we pray, “Take me out of the net that is hidden for me….” We know that our world is confronted with difficult political changes, so we pray, “hide me from human plots….”

It is easy to allow the challenges of our new world to cause us to neglect the practice of the presence of God. “I had said in my alarm, ‘I am driven far from your sight,’ but you heard my supplications when I cried to you for help.”

THE CHANGING CHURCH

The church itself is going through a period of transformation that can be very confusing to its members. It is critical for its members to hear in the midst of our changing reality, “Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord.” We need to be reminded of the constancy of God in the midst of the changes we are experiencing.

When you compare the radical changes the people of Israel were facing to the unnerving changes we are experiencing, we can sense how some of their prayer life and commandments are very relevant for our lives today.

We are not alone. Our lives and our response to the unknown future are not without meaning. The church has been provided the resources that can open us to God’s guidance. Our faith can offer needed hope to a very anxious society.