Psalm 70 - Let all who seek you rejoice

Jump to end of psalm
A Psalm of David.
To the leader. Of David, for the memorial offering.
1) Be pleased, O God, to deliver me.
O Lord, make haste to help me!
2) Let those be put to shame and confusion
who seek my life.
Let those be turned back and brought to dishonor
who desire to hurt me.
3) Let those who say, “Aha, Aha!”
turn back because of their shame.
4) Let all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you.
Let those who love your salvation
say evermore, “God is great!”
5) But I am poor and needy;
hasten to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
O Lord, do not delay!
Psalm 70 (NRSV)
Wednesday of Holy Week
Proper 27, Year A, Sunday between November 6 and November 12

What a prayer! "Let all who seek you rejoice." Let your promises be true. Make it all work out! Deliver those in need, bless the poor and needy, turn the tables on my adversaries. And please, make haste - do it now!

The life of faith so often reflects this tension. We hope and believe that Goodness is real and is possible to reign in our lives. And... there is a painful gap between the goodness we long for and our present reality.
Most days we live in that gap, not in celebrating the salvation that we trust is God's will.

And yet, at the same time the psalm calls for Good to hasten the arrival of help, it anticipates and commends those who long for and love salvation to dwell in praise.

God's time is God's time. But our time is now. Let us rejoice: "God is great!"

Credits:
Uncredited author, Rejoice oval stone, Public domain (CC0 1.0).
* New Revised Standard Version Bible (NRSV), copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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