Daily Devotion, December 7, 2022

 

Devotion:

Read Psalm 94:18-19.

“Joy” is a theme for this season, but for many “Joy” may seem far away.  It might be because our “To Do” lists are overwhelming; events are not going as planned; some relationships are troubling us; or we are troubled by the news from around the world.  “Joy” may seem far away because we are going through a season of grieving.

The Psalmist also had good reasons for “Joy” to be far away.  Dr. J. Clinton McCann, Jr. writes in The New Interpreter’s Bible, “As is evident from Psalm 1 onward, the righteous live constantly in the presence of the wicked, who are also called ‘scoffers,’ ‘sinners,’ ‘enemies,' ‘foes,’ ‘adversaries,’ etc.   In the Psalms, the righteous are defined as the people who live in complete dependence upon God.  The wicked are not outrageously or even obviously bad people but are persons who live in fundamental dependence upon the self rather than upon God.”  McCann adds that this “autonomy” to be completely dependent on self is often seen as a very high virtue in our current culture.

Psalm 94:18-19 is a testimony of the Psalmist’s complete dependence upon God.  It was God who gave the Psalmist support when his foot was slipping. It was God who gave consolation and joy to his soul. And it was God’s love which supported him. These were all gifts from God during the Psalmist’s time of being oppressed by the wicked and evildoers.

It would be easy to stop where the Psalmist does with prayers for God’s vengeance, but Jesus’ message in Luke 6:35-36 moves us to higher ground. “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

God still offers the gifts of “Joy” AND “Mercy” even with our good reasons for those gifts to seem far away. We can trust and be completely dependent upon God’s care and mercy for all.  Let us be open to receiving God’s gifts of “Joy” AND “Mercy”.

Personal Worship Option:

Merciful, Joyful and Loving God, we give you our “to do lists”, our calendar of events, our troubling relationships, and the news from around the world. Console our grieving hearts and let your joy find its home in our souls. Amen.