82 When all of the other gods have come together, the Lord God judges them and says: 2 “How long will you keep judging unfairly and favoring evil people? 3 Be fair to the poor and to orphans. Defend the helpless and everyone in need. 4 Rescue the weak and homeless from the powerful hands of heartless people.
5 “None of you know or understand a thing. You live in darkness, while the foundations of the earth tremble.
6 “I, the Most High God, say that all of you are gods and also my own children. 7 But you will die, just like everyone else, including powerful rulers.”
8 Do something, God! Judge the nations of the earth; they belong to you.
What a brilliant title for a Psalm.
Really, the basic cry of our hearts and our prayers – Please do something God.
May there be justice
Let there be fairness
Defend the helpless
Rescue the weak
Hold back the heartless
And so we pray that today. We pour out our hearts for the things that trouble us.
Hide and seek. That favourite childhood game of trying to find somewhere where you will never be found.
As adults sometimes we have our own versions of hide and seek. Trying to find places where no one will find us; hiding from the world; trying to escape; wanting to be left alone; hoping no one has seen our mistake; wanting space; needing somewhere to lick our own wounds.
Yet at other times we want people to notice us, to see our pain, to notice our hurt, to just give us some love or care – and it feels as though no one does.
23 I am everywhere— both near and far, 24 in heaven and on earth. There are no secret places where you can hide from me.
25 These unfaithful prophets claim that I have given them a dream or a vision, and then they tell lies in my name. 26 But everything they say comes from their own twisted minds. How long can this go on? 27 They tell each other their dreams and try to get my people to reject me, just as their ancestors left me and worshipped Baal. 28 Their dreams and my truth are as different as straw and wheat. But when prophets speak for me, they must say only what I have told them. 29 My words are a powerful fire; they are a hammer that shatters rocks.
I guess it’s both good and bad news that there is nowhere we can hide from God. There is nowhere he can’t see what we’re doing, he knows what we’re at, what we’re doing, saying and thinking… He sees those telling lies, those trying to get others to reject him, those worshipping other than him. There are no secrets.
Yet, wherever we are, whatever is happening in our life, God knows and cares very much. He hasn’t abandoned us. We’re not left alone to fend for ourselves. He sees when others mislead us, when they hurt us, when we are damaged. There are no secrets.
God sees everything – how scary, how comforting.
I know Lord,
that there are no places
where I can hide from you.
Nowhere I can hide
from the wrong I have done,
the hurt I have inflicted,
my rejections of you
and those around me.
And so I come in sorrow
and repentance
to ask for your forgiveness.
I know Lord,
that there are no places
where I can hide from you.
You know where I am,
how I am,
the pains and burdens I am carrying
– you know the reality of my life.
And so I come in thanksgiving
and rest in the reassurance
of your presence.
There is one of those ice-breaker questions that asks what you would rescue from your house if it was on fire. The idea being to show what is important to you.
My answer is always my car keys. Not because I love my car, but I figure that if I have my car I have shelter and warmth.
32 My little group of disciples, don’t be afraid! Your Father wants to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell what you have and give the money to the poor. Make yourselves moneybags that never wear out. Make sure your treasure is safe in heaven, where thieves cannot steal it and moths cannot destroy it. 34 Your heart will always be where your treasure is.
Faithful and Unfaithful Servants
35 Be ready and keep your lamps burning 36 just like those servants who wait up for their master to return from a wedding feast. As soon as he comes and knocks, they open the door for him. 37 Servants are fortunate if their master finds them awake and ready when he comes! I promise you that he will get ready and have his servants sit down so he can serve them. 38 Those servants are really fortunate if their master finds them ready, even though he comes late at night or early in the morning. 39 You would surely not let a thief break into your home, if you knew when the thief was coming. 40 So always be ready! You don’t know when the Son of Man will come.
For those who think God is a grumpy old man, down on all humans, the perhaps startling thing about this passage is the opening part – God wants to give us the kingdom. It’s not something he is grudgingly holding on to, keeping to himself, unwilling to let us in – he wants us to share in it.
The way to access it, is to make sure we aren’t holding tightly on to other things. Like the Rich Fool last week, it is making sure your security is in the right place. Not in assets, but in heaven. Why? Because what we treasure will always lead out hearts and lives.
So, do we treasure “things”, or God? Are we busy polishing our treasure, or looking for his works and his ways?
What God offers to us is amazing – way more than anything money can buy or possessions can bring. Nothing we can own offers us more.
What will I treasure most? What will I seek to store?
Lord,
help me to appreciate
which things are truly of value
and worth.
Where to put my time and focus,
what I treasure,
the things I long for.
Lord I want to look for you,
to seek your ways,
to know your treasures.
Pam's Perambulation 