Text: Psalm 25:1-10
1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in you I trust;
do not let me be put to shame;
do not let my enemies exult over me.
3 Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;
let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all day long.
6 Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your steadfast love remember me,
for your goodness’ sake, O Lord!
8 Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
Meditation:
This Psalm is rooted in the steadfast love of God. It is in that love that the Psalmist takes comfort. It’s the same love on which we depend today as we face our failures, struggle through difficult times, and seek to know God’s will. Without God’s unfailing, unceasing love, life would be a miserable journey. The Psalmist says to God, “Let not those who WAIT for you be put to shame.” This underscores the truth of the fact that we are all waiting on God in various ways: for forgiveness, for delivery, and for enlightenment.
Waiting is a way of orienting our attention. Of placing firmly in our minds the idea that there is a great Hope. A future in the mind of God. A cosmic reorientation of the world, currently in chaos and dis-ease. Waiting is the human way to say to God, “I am depending on you.”
Poetry:
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
by John Neale, 1851
O come, O come, Immanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.
O come, O Wisdom from on high,
who ordered all things mightily;
to us the path of knowledge show
and teach us in its ways to go. Refrain
O come, O come, great Lord of might,
who to your tribes on Sinai’s height
in ancient times did give the law
in cloud and majesty and awe. Refrain
O come, O Branch of Jesse’s stem,
unto your own and rescue them!
From depths of hell your people save,
and give them victory o’er the grave. Refrain
O come, O Key of David, come
and open wide our heavenly home.
Make safe for us the heavenward road
and bar the way to death’s abode. Refrain
O come, O Bright and Morning Star,
and bring us comfort from afar!
Dispel the shadows of the night
and turn our darkness into light. Refrain
O come, O King of nations, bind
in one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid all our sad divisions cease
and be yourself our King of Peace. Refrain
Prayer:
Dear Father, This is our season of waiting. In the stillness of winter we wait for the eventual coming of your son, our King. We wait in the midst of the turmoil of our world, and we ask that in our waiting, calm will be restored, good will resurrected, and the peace of your Kingdom will descend on us. In Jesus’ name we pray this. Amen.
Activity:
Purchase a small Advent/Christmas plant, and place it in a place where you will see it often. For this season, let it be a reminder of the work that God is doing. A reminder of how God is growing His kingdom. Let the plant be a reminder to give attention to the Coming of Jesus for which we are waiting.