Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.
When we consider our world, the problem of evil is remarkably persistent. We try to fix things but they become broken again so very quickly. There’s always crime. There’s always offense. There’s always illness. One thing after another breaks down.
This happens on the more mundane scale as well. Why won’t the lawn I mowed stay mowed? I just mopped that floor, and now it is dirty again. How many times will I have to knock the cobwebs down on my porch? And I really thought I just got my car fixed, but here it is, going to the shop again.
Our world is always going to be entering into decay. It doesn’t last forever. None of God’s creation seems permanently stable. But in Psalm 68:1-10, we meet the God who can care for that creation. Even though everything would fall apart, God is there sustaining it, restoring it, nourishing it.
It may seem difficult, or even impossible, to do away with trouble. But God can care for it, as easily as the wind can blow away smoke or a fire can melt wax. The trouble that seems large to us is quite manageable to God. The situation that we could never find a way around is something which the Lord can cut through quickly and easily.
With this great news in hand, the Psalmist looks to God in hope. He’s the one who provides food and water in the desert. He’s the one who takes care of his flock.
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