A reflection on Psalm 76

I am Not Alone - Isaiah 43:2 - Richard Rice

God’s love for me and my love for Him connects me to the whole of creation. Achieving a state of unity, peace and reconciliation both within and without is therefore fundamental to my existence. 

The freedom I have been given is a blessing as it allows me to see the glory of God - but the same freedom gives me the choice to turn away from Him, to fulfill my own, selfish, desires; playing God in a world of my own creation, where peace and reconciliation is brought about on my terms and with those of my choosing. Spending time in the presence of God is not a selfish act. He has called me by name and I am his.

Seen through the lens of my own making, the spoils of selfishness can seem rewarding, but no earthly riches can compare to the love of God. Any action I take which results in the oppression of others - and is therefore contrary to universal peace and reconciliation - will be judged harshly. Gods judgement on those who harden their hearts to Him is motivated by his love for all his people.

Bitterness, hatefulness, wrath and jealousy are all idols of myself. They serve only to inflate me in my own mind to the level of the divine. The only good that can come from them is when they finally suffocate me, when I die to self. So let me be true to God and the promises I have made. Christ is my Lord - God has called me by name and claimed me for his own. 

Prayer

That today I begin to unwrap the selfish concerns that surround me and open my life to God and the baptismal promises I have made. To turn away from sin, to renounce evil, to turn to Christ as Saviour and trust in Christ as Lord.

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;

    I have called you by name, you are mine. (Isaiah 43.1)

Comment 

After a time of personal prayer and reflection on Psalm 76, one of the psalms appointed for this morning, I looked to see how this psalm is concluded in the Daily Office. That prayer is more corporate in every sense - both the language used as well as the focus of the imagery, which is on bringing to an end war and battles between countries and peoples, rather than the battles within an individual seeking to open their whole being to God’s will; although both prayers acknowledge the inter-relationship between these two conditions.

Prayer after Psalm 76 from Morning Prayer (Common Worship) : 

Majestic and gracious God,

more awesome than the agents of war,

more powerful than the wrath of nations,

restrain the violence of the peoples

and draw the despised of the earth

into the joyful life of your kingdom,

where you live and reign for ever and ever.

The image is by an abstract work by American Artist, Richard Rice. To me the forms suggest a ship about to set sail, guided by a heavenly star, reminding me of the importance of making time for personal reflection and prayer before setting out into the world beyond and doing God's work.