A Tree Planted by a Stream

Beloved of God,
    
    We have been working our way through the Psalms for almost half a week now. The fun part of starting at the beginning is that you get some of the most wonderful lines in all of Psalms right here in the front end. I love the image of a person who meditates on God’s Word being like a tree planted by a stream; a picture of total contentment and stability.
    I also love Psalm 2 an awful lot, because it is so deeply messianic. It is even quoted in reference to Jesus himself in Acts 13, and again by the author of Hebrews. This Messiah was meant to come and inherit the nations, to break them with a rod of iron. And yet, here we are, the nations, having been broken only as far as we are sinful, and having been inherited and yet made joint inheritors with Christ. The Psalms lay the groundwork for surprise.
    Or Psalm 4, which opens with by giving God a command (!): “Answer me”…and by the end of it we lie down and sleep in safety, like a tired child who pitches a fit and then falls asleep in his mother’s arms.
    Of course, this is what I am hearing. The Holy Spirit may be calling your attention to very different things. I hope that as you continue to read through the Psalms you will take some notes on what you are hearing, and if you feel comfortable sharing them you can do that here.
    I also want to share with you a link to a podcast that I think might help us understand this practice. It is a full half hour, but the first five minutes or so are especially helpful. You can listen to that conversation here.
    
Please join me in praying for:
*     Those who are fighting the Medio fire, and for foresters, rangers, and firefighters
*     Those in positions of public trust at the federal, state, and local level
*     Doctors, nurses, first responders and essential workers whose faithful work in harm’s way benefits us all
*     Our upcoming congregational meeting on 8/30
*     Students, teachers and administrators seeking to do schooling amidst unprecedented challenges
*     Parents walking this path with their children
*     Our community; that there might be opportunities to invite neighbors into the Kingdom of God
*     That we will be faithful to God’s mission locally and globally
*     Each other (please email [email protected] if you’d like to be added to the prayer list).


You are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world,

Marshall