Daily Office Readings for Saturday of the 4th Week of Easter: Year 2
Morning, Psalm 55; Evening, Psalm 138, 139:1-17(18-23);
Exodus 40:18 to 38; 1st Thessalonians 4:1 to 12; Matthew 5:38 to 48:
Psalm 139 Verses 1 – 3
1. Lord, you have searched me out and known me; you know my sitting down and my rising up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
2. You trace my journeys and my resting-places and are acquainted with all my ways.
3. Indeed, there is not a word on my lips, but you, O Lord, know it altogether.
These are only the first three verses of Psalm 139. I look at this Psalm as a meditation. Verses 1 through 17 remind us of how well God knows us. Verses 1 through 17 are also the ones most frequently treasured. The remaining verses tend to deal with what the Psalmist wants to happen to the wicked. I try not to go there.
I ponder about how it feels to know that when I have a thought or a feeling, that God knows about it as soon as I do (maybe even before I do). I am truly not alone, not even in my inmost thoughts. I like to think that sometimes God is not so passive in my thinking. That is, God also “prompts” my thinking in one direction or another. It’s like God allows me to see a “burning bush.” I, like Moses, must then decide if I am going to go check it out. The words of scripture are like the burning bush, the pages burn in us, but they are never consumed. And through them, the Holy Spirit speaks to us.
Here’s the thing, God is a participant with all of us. The divine hints are already with us. But it’s up to us to check them out. God discerns your thoughts from afar and is acquainted with all your ways. Indeed, there is not a word on your lips, but God, O Lord, knows it altogether. This does not mean that God approves of all your words or thoughts. Think about this and allow yourself to follow God’s lead in your life, not your own idea about what you should do. Try not to go there.
My beloved in the Lord, please continue to pray with me for Ukraine. God, and God only, knows the thoughts, hopes and fears of the Ukrainian people. However, as we witness this burning bush let us not cast it off as some insignificant sideline event in the world, but rather, take notice of it and discern how God wants us to be a part of the plan for their victory over tyranny. Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to us. “Lord, you have searched us out and known us; you know our sitting down and our rising up; you discern our thoughts from afar.”
As we listen to what the Spirit is saying to us, let us live to love, to serve, and to teach, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
onewhoponders 