Devotions week of July 22

Sunday July 22-Ps.89:20-37 is today’s lectionary selection. It is a prayer of unending support for David and his legacy. The monarchy was destroyed, so did the promise die? No, it was transmuted into a messianic expectation. Religion can look beyond the facts on the ground and perceive a way of interpreting the old words in ways that bring new hope. With the advent of Jesus Christ, we read Scripture with a different set of glasses, do we not? Monday-We read the prayer of Manasseh in Bible Study. It is part of the Greek language additions to the Old Testament that is honored by many Christians. It is a short prayer, and one of its line struck me of “bending the knee of the heart.” Many of us do not have the sense of sin as threatening our relationship with God, let alone each other. Humility is not a virtue from what I see in this new century. When do you feel the need to bend the knee of the heart? Tuesday-We had music in the park by the Wadlow statue last week. It’s a wonderful community event. Songs speak to us in a way beyond what separate lyrics or music finds possible, even when they are magnificent alone. Sometimes I get as much spiritual insight from secular songs as I do a hymn. Maybe that is more proof of our faith being an Incarnational one, where we can find traces of God throughout the creation. What songs move you and in what ways? Who are some of your favorite musical artists? Wednesday-I was uncomfortable during the second month of radiation treatments. I am now frustrated that my system seems out of whack again lately, even as I try to follow the guidelines. Frustration occurs when we want to hurry things along. When we can see the goal in sight and find impediments toward the goal, we get frustrated. I wonder why I do not get as upset when I encounter impediments in my spiritual progress as I do with physical ailments? Thursday-Henry David Thoreau, that quote machine, said: “there is no remedy for love but to love more.” I wonder if he was thinking of a cure for a broken heart? A while ago, a friend posted of her own heart braking as her daughter had her first heartache over a young man. Part of that brings up the memory of our own first heartbreak. We think it will never mend. I wonder if that is how God feels when we harm each other? Friday-As I write these, the old blues song Crossroads is on the radio. That has me think back to the final scene in Cast Away where Tom Hanks is parked at a crossroad after delivering a package that had stayed with him in his being marooned on an island. I like the image of making a decision about direction, even if we do not know precisely where it will lead. At the same time, I sense something irrevocable about that direction, for it is not so easy to turn back, like a battleship on maneuvers. Saturday-The summer has been hot and dry, and I have been praying for rain to our Creator God. Reformed Christians stress god’s providence and governance of that creation. At the same time, I realize that God grants much latitude in the complexity of weather systems. I pray that God does work through natural systems. If it doesn’t cause too much trouble elsewhere, I continue to pray for weather relief.