Ordinary Time

Pause

"All the poor and powerless
And all the lost and lonely
All the thieves will come confess
And know that You are holy

And all will sing out
Hallelujah
And we will cry out
Hallelujah

And all the hearts that are content
And all who feel unworthy
And all who hurt with nothing left
Will know that You are holy"

“All the Poor and Powerless,” 2011, by All Sons and Daughters

Listen

The righteous will spring up like a palm tree. They will grow strong like a cedar of Lebanon. Those who have been replanted in the Lord’s house will spring up in the courtyards of our God. They will bear fruit even when old and gray; they will remain lush and fresh in order to proclaim: “The Lord is righteous. He’s my rock. There’s nothing unrighteous in him.”

Psalm 92:12-15

Think

I used to look at the Psalms and say “Aw man! There are so many of these, I don’t want to even start reading them.” That was before I learned that the Psalms are mainly a collection of poems and songs written by people in conversation with God. Then my whole outlook on them changed. The Psalms are about the faith of real people — like us. We find ourselves in the Psalms.

We might wonder who “the righteous” are in this psalm. I believe that the righteous are the people who encounter God and allow God to move in their lives, and I believe that includes us. And this poem says that the righteous (we) are in God’s dwelling place. We are in a place where we see God and are nurtured by God. The author says that we are where the Lord lives and walks, in God’s intimate home. There we are planted, and in the home of God, we are continuously being tended to.

Chris Wondree

Pray

Nurturing God, thank you for keeping me close to you in your dwelling place. Let me remember that when I let you, you continue to nourish and strengthen me so that I can grow and bear fruit. Amen.

Go

Go forth into the world in peace, knowing that the God who made you continues to love, keep, nurture, and grow you. Amen.