Opossum Screed: October 2020

Reformation Day

On this day in 1517, an Augustinian priest named Martin Luther, offended by the practice of marketing the forgiveness of sins, listed his objections and nailed them to a church door in Wittenberg, Germany. There had been many before him who had criticized certain practices of the established church—or even broke with it—but this time, the questioner gained the protection of his ruler. Thus the Protestant Reformation is usually traced to this event.

Your Word Is Truth

I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, so that they may live with me; whoever walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me. No one who practices deceit shall remain in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue in my presence.

✙ Ps 101:6-7

✙

In writing about verse 6, Calvin said, that "the greater part of kings, indeed, passing over the good and the upright, or, which is worse, driving them away from them, purposely seek to have as servants those who are like themselves, and who may prove fit tools for their tyranny." And of verse 7: "When the chief counsellors of kings and other intimate acquaintances who have gained possession of their ears, are deceitful and crafty, this becomes the source of all corruptions; for by their example they encourage others in

I will sing of loyalty and of justice; to you, O Lord, I will sing. I will study the way that is blameless. When shall I attain it? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is base. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.

✙ Ps 101:1-3

✙

I have to take it on faith that David is the author of Psalm 101, and that, in an act of worship, he is declaring to God what kind of ruler he intends to be. Calvin contrasts David's royal idealism to the reality we are often faced with in other rulers:

The proverb was not used without foundation in ancient times, 'A king must be born either a king or a fool.' It is indeed a mistake to say that kings are born fools. [People] were led to speak in this manner, because it commonly happens that those who are invested with the government of kingdoms and empires are fools and blockheads. And surely it is a remarkable instance of

Minced oaths are benign words or phrases with which we replace God's Name or even curse words. Some common ones include darn, gosh, heck, and shoot. Sugar, fudge, and dagnabbit are less common. Some others I grew up hearing were For Pete's sake, So help me Hannah, and of course everybody knows For crying out loud! I also understand enough Spanish to know that when Latin Americans shout Wednesday! they're not always planning their week (miércoles shares its first four letters with a less savory word).

My personal favorite—and one that I use all the time—is Goodness gracious, or simply Goodness. This one is unique in that it uses one of God's main attributes in order to keep from breaking the Third Commandment. Though we're often told that God is good, Psalm 100:5 is one of the most

Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

✙ Ps 100:3

✙

Psalm 100:3 emphasizes a lot of stuff I tend to take for granted. First, what it emphasizes:

It reminds Israel that יהוה (and no other entity) is God,
It is יהוה (and not some other god) who made Israel,
Israel belongs to יהוה as the particular people of the Creator God,
יהוה cares for Israel as a shepherd cares for a flock.

I usually read this as though everybody agrees that there's only one God (יהוה), and that everybody has always acknowledged this. But of course, at the time this was written, many gods were acknowledged, and so Israel's statement of faith that יהוה was the One God and the only Creator was revolutionary. Though we give this article of faith lip service today, we, too,

Psalm 100 is designated in the scriptures as A Psalm of Praise. This is the only time those precise words are used to identify a psalm. It is a brief psalm (only 5 verses), and—unusual among the psalms—overwhelmingly positive from beginning to end. Any metaphors found in this psalm are quickly identified and easily understood. It's easy to see why it is so frequently used in worship, and why the most frequently sung tune in any church I have ever served is called Old Hundredth—a centuries-old piece of music written to embrace this psalm's message of grateful joy.*

I have to admit that I too often take this psalm for granted. But there's something in these first two verses that I should give serious thought to:

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing.

✙ Ps 100:1-2

✙

The psalmist is looking ahead here to something that was not possible at the

Eternal God, author of life abundant,
we thank you for the cloud of witnesses
who make the mysterious heaven
a home for our hearts.
Before you,
we remember those faces we love
and those spirits we treasure.

At radiant dawn and in the quiet of dusk,
we remember them.

Under summer skies with shimmering fields,
we remember them.

At the falling of autumn
with trees clad in gold,

Extol the Lord our God; worship at his footstool. Holy is he!

✙ Ps 99:5

✙

When King David centralized political power, he also consolidated religious practice, making Jerusalem the seat both of government and of all sacrifice. The One God was no longer to be directly approached on whatever high place an individual chose, but only in the tabernacle (tent of meeting), which had found a home on Mount Zion. After David's death, his son Solomon built a permanent temple, which was said to be God's dwelling place on earth.

When humans designate some places as holier than others, there suddenly exists a grave danger of idolatry. Holy shrines naturally require special treatment. And once I begin to treat a place as special, then I quickly begin to imagine that that place's holiness is an end unto itself, forgetting what it

Today we commemorate the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. The message is the second in a sermon mini-series on Luke 17:11-19, with this week's emphasis on the priesthood of all believers. A Mighty Fortress is featured twice, once as a hymn, and in the end as the postlude (as a theme in Mendelssohn's Reformation Symphony). Here's the order of worship in the video:

00:00 Chimes
00:34 Welcome
02:13 Hymn: A Mighty Fortress
06:30 Call to Worship: Psalm 46.1-5
07:05 Opening Prayer

The Lord is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples.

✙ Ps 99:2

✙

Hebrew poetry contains parallel clauses, and we see that technique here in Psalm 99:2. God is great in the first clause, and the parallel, God is exalted (Hebrew רָם, lit. high) in the second. This is to be expected. But the story for me here is in the prepositions. God is great/exalted in both clauses, but God is in Zion and over all people.

There really is a difference here, for God in Zion is God in the midst of God's people. At times, such as in Psalm 98, the people rejoice at God's presence. We also see this in Isaiah 12:6, which might serve as a bridge between these two consecutive psalms: Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel. The God that is in the midst of

Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing together for joy at the presence of the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.

✙ Ps 98:8-9 ✙

Psalm 98 is a beautiful and joyful psalm, and you'd think it would be put to great use in the church. But as many times as this psalm might possibly be used in worship, the smaller or less liturgically minded church that uses the lectionary will seldom have occasion to sing or read it. That's because Psalm 98 almost always plays second fiddle. It's used in the Easter vigil, it's used during the third service of Christmas, it's used for Holy Cross day in September, and it's used as the alternate psalm for a couple of Sundays in

O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory. The Lord has made known his victory; he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.

✙ Ps 98:1-3
✙

Psalm 98 is a marvelous song of celebration. The whole world witnesses the victory of God—a victory characterized by love and trust.

How tempting it is sometimes to claim that my victories are God's victories, or to equate the victories of my religious denomination or my political party or my favorite sports team with God's triumph of steadfast love and faithfulness. When I do this, I'm on very dangerous ground, for more often than not, far from glorifying God, I'm making a mockery of the Divine.

There are biblical indicators of what God's victories might look like: The

Light dawns for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.

✙ Ps 97:11

✙

This is a beautiful verse, and one that, when it stands alone, can bring reassurance: Light dawns for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. But what happens when I put that verse in context? I've just been led (see yesterday's devotion) through what appears to be a wildfire during an outbreak of night lightning. What could be more terrifying or unpredictable? So earlier in Psalm 97, the message that human beings cannot control the holiness of God has been received loud and clear.

But in the midst of this terror in the dark, God's children realize that there is goodness. There is a light dawning in the distance—consistency and

Go forth in the grace of God.
You did not make yourself,
nor is it by your strength alone
that you have been made complete.
God has come to you,
Christ has spoken his word to you,
and the Spirit has renewed you.

So go forth in gratitude to God
for the divine gifts set before you,

The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad! Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire goes before him, and consumes his adversaries on every side. His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim his righteousness; and all the peoples behold his glory.

✙ Ps 97:1-6

✙

Though it didn't reach my house, I experienced San Diego's Witch Fire in 2007. To live through a wildfire is a fearful thing. But I also know that, because of climate change and the way

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord; for he is coming, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth.

✙ Ps 96:11-13

✙

Yesterday I meditated on the phrase in the adornment of holiness (Ps. 96:9), and how that probably isn't referring to all the trappings of liturgical worship, but rather adorning oneself with holiness as with finery. And now I see further evidence of it as Psalm 96 comes to a close. Jesus told me in the Sermon on the Mount to

consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field...

✙ Matthew 6:28b-30a

✙

And so from this, combined with Ps. 96:11-13, I might infer that the best way

Worship the Lord in holy splendor; tremble before him, all the earth.

✙ Ps 96:9

✙

Much has been made of what this psalm means regarding liturgical worship. Holy splendor might be beautiful prayers, vestments, incense, or vessels made of precious metals encrusted with jewels (aka "smells and bells"). I might also look to the incident in which a woman "wasted" expensive ointment by anointing Jesus with it. When she was criticized for it (by Judas, according to John), Jesus replied,

You always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me.

✙ Mark 14:7

✙

And so is it not true that resources reserved for the worship of Christ do not take food out of the mouths of the poor? There is, after all, already enough

Today's message is Part One of a 2-part mini-series on Luke 17:11-19 (The Healing of the Ten Lepers). Here's the order of worship of the video:

00:00 Chimes
00:25 Prélude: Give Thanks
04:49 Welcome
05:47 Call to Worship: Psalm 30.10-12
06:10 Opening Prayer

For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be revered above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.

✙ Ps 96:4-5

✙

Once again, the otherwise venerable tradition of translating the Name of God—יהוה—as The Lord gets in the way here. So let's look at it this way:

For great is Yahweh, and greatly to be praised; he is to be revered above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but Yahweh made theheavens.

This makes it much easier to understand this psalm's context. Israel's God is great, and is worthy of worship—much more so than all other divinities. For these other divinities exist only in imagination, but it was Israel's God who created the universe.

Perhaps by gods, the psalmist intended only those represented by idols and worshiped by neighboring peoples, or even the angels acknowledged by the Hebrews. But I know that gods include anything I place ahead of God. "I

O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.

✙ Ps 96:1

✙

When the psalmist calls on all the earth to sing to the Lord, I have to remind myself that that's not what the Hebrew really says. The Lord isn't some vague god that might or might not exist, wielding power over all people. The Hebrew specifies that The Lord is none other than יהוה—Israel's God, whose Name can be spelled but not pronounced—who is named twice in Psalm 96:1.

Since The Lord was not praised beyond the borders of the land where Israel dwelt, Calvin points out that this psalm must refer to "the kingdom of Christ," since "other nations were at that time necessarily altogether incapacitated for any such exercise" as praising a God they'd never heard of. This psalm

For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O that today you would listen to his voice!

✙ Ps 95:7

Israel was God's chosen people. Other gods had other nations, but the Lord claimed Israel as a particular possession. That this choice would not forever be based on ethnicity is predicted in many places in the Bible, but nowhere is it more beautifully stated than by Jesus in John 10 (vv 14-16):

I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

Thus we know that God, the Maker of all things and all people, has forever

In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and the dry land, which his hands have formed. O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!

✙ Ps 95:4-6

✙

There is movement here. The psalm opens with the initial joy of praising God, and that praise leads to a realization of God's greatness. And so in Psalm 95:6 we move from worship (I guess I'm picturing standing with upraised arms here), to bowing, to kneeling—for if God is the One who holds the seas and owns the mountains, then who are we that we might be invited into his presence?

Bowing and kneeling can mean many things, and I hope to find out in subsequent verses what they mean in Psalm 95. But it's enough right now to know that being overwhelmed by God's awesomeness makes a person weak in the knees. In the first verse of this psalm, I might ask, "How can I

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

✙ Ps 95:2-3

✙

The psalmist doesn't really just say, "Let us come." The verb in Psalm 95:2 isn't the same one that's found in the verse before it (which in English starts out, "O come..."). The verb here is נְקַדְּמָה, which is a form of קדם—a word that is used elsewhere to mean precede, or hasten. It's as though this verse says, Let's see if we can be the first ones at church this morning, or Let's get there as soon as the doors open! It's clear here that worship isn't a chore, and attending it isn't an obligation, but a privilege. It seems that it doesn't matter what hymns the pastor has picked—they're all favorites.

I thank you, God, that you've given me a church to go to, a way to get there, a voice to lift up your praise, and sisters and brothers to sing along with; in the Name of him who taught me to pray: Our Father...

Community is Grace

O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

✙ Ps 95:1
✙

Praying Psalm 95 is a bit jarring this year. It calls God's people together to worship joyfully. Many churches are doing just that, crowding together and singing loudly without masks. But many—for the time being, at least—are not. Some are gathering at a distance, refraining from singing. Others are limiting their worship to online experiences. My church, of course, is in this last group, having decided that, just as Israel had to complete the term of its exile before returning to the Promised Land, so today's Christians need to refrain from face-to-face worship until we know it will not worsen a pandemic ravaging the world.

This decision on our part was not easy, nor does everybody agree with it. But it does give me renewed appreciation for corporate worship in general, and today's passage in particular. This psalm which calls God's people into a worshiping community reminds me of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Life Together, in

Sometimes we feel small,
and our gifts insufficient for the work ahead.
But in Christ,
we are part of something bigger than ourselves;
in Christ we are possessed of courage not our own.

And so it is with the table set before us.
It appears insignificant, and its fare meager.
Yet when we are seated here,
the Holy Spirit unites us
with disciples in all times and places
at the King’s banquet:
The food and drink we see

Su sangre es del color de un nuevo amanecer ☼

In the United States, we call this day Columbus Day. In Canada it's the day they celebrate Thanksgiving. But in Spanish-speaking America, what's usually celebrated is the Día de la Raza, the foundation of a new people: a mixture of European, Indigenous American, and African blood.

There are many in our country who believe that this day should be set aside to honor the native peoples who, through disease, massacre, forced relocation, and enslavement were nearly wiped out when contact was made between Europe and the Americas. Certainly, this recognition is a more noble cause than the celebration of a man whose treatment of the native peoples was criminal. After all, how can he be called the discoverer of a place peopled by millions of people who got

Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who contrive mischief by statute?

✙ Ps 94:20

✙

Since כִּסֵּא means throne and not ruler, I think the Hebrew of today's verse could be rendered this way: Can the throne of woes—where injustice is crafted into law—partner with you? Since the biblical view of leadership, as the psalms show again and again, is justice for the oppressed and care for the poor, I think it's natural to assume that this "throne of woes" would be a ruler or legislature that places the rich above the poor, kowtowing to the powerful at the expense of the weak.

Psalm 94:20 is intended to be a rhetorical question in the Bible, but there are many who call themselves believers who have twisted scripture to

Eleanor Roosevelt was born on this day in 1884. After her death in 1962, this "Prayer for All Those Who Work or Fight in the War" was found in her wallet:

Lord, have pity upon all men [sic]—
To those who are in darkness, be their light.
To those who are in despair, be their hope.
To those who are suffering, be their healing.
To those who are fearful, be their courage.
To those who are defeated, be their victory.
To those who are dying, be their life.

My message in today's worship service is a first-person biographical sketch of the patriarch Isaac. During the prélude, there's a small photo essay of early autumn in and around Chardon. The video's at the bottom; here's the order of worship:

00:00 Chimes
00:32 Prélude: Devotion
04:08 Welcome
05:01 Call to Worship: Psalm 126.1-3
05:24 Opening Prayer

Calvin said that "believers are conscious of two very different states of mind. On the one hand, they are afflicted and distressed with various fears and anxieties; on the other, there is a secret joy communicated to them from above." I think there's a great deal of truth in this statement—and it's the kind of truth that non-believers might find either amusing or disingenuous. How can we acknowledge all the suffering and evil in the world, all the while talking about the goodness of God?

The condescension of others doesn't matter, though, when a believer's back is against the wall. To have faith when there's every reason not to have it is indeed a soul-cheering consolation. Some may rage against the dying of the light, but the sun does not go down on a living faith.

The Heidelberg Catechism opens with this question: What is your only comfort in life and in death? And provides this answer: That I am not my

O Lord, you God of vengeance, you God of vengeance, shine forth!
Rise up, O judge of the earth; give to the proud what they deserve!
O Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult?
They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast.
They crush your people, O Lord, and afflict your heritage.
They kill the widow and the stranger, they murder the orphan, and they say, “The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.”

✙ Ps 94:1-7

✙

My 21st century spirituality is repelled by the idea of praying to a God of vengeance. But the psalmist is praying to just such a God, and probably for good reason. The proud spoken of in this psalm are crushers of God's people, killers of widows and foreigners, and murderers of orphans. Is it really such a horrible thing to pray that God would act to end such oppression? Moreover, it is God's perceived inaction which these killers think gives them license to act as they do, for they think God incapable of

The Lord is king, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed, he is girded with strength. He has established the world; it shall never be moved; your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.
The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring.
More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters, more majestic than the waves of the sea, majestic on high is the Lord!
Your decrees are very sure; holiness befits your house, O Lord, forevermore.

✙ Ps 93 ✙

Psalm 93 is a fine psalm that always plays second fiddle in the church. According to the Common Lectionary, it's an alternate to Psalm 47 every spring when we celebrate Christ's Ascension. And once every three years, it's the second suggested psalm on the last Sunday of the liturgical calendar when we celebrate the Reign of Christ. So it sometimes comes close to being heard in worship, but probably never is.

I find Calvin's commentary on the opening words of this psalm to be rather amusing:

The righteous flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God.
In old age they still produce fruit; they are always green and full of sap.

✙ Ps 92:12-14

This portion of Psalm 92 is just lovely—for several reasons. First, two kinds of flourishing trees are mentioned in verse 12, and they are very different. So what are the righteous like? Apparently no two are alike: Diversity is part of who God's people are.

Why do the righteous flourish? Not because of who they are, but because of where they're planted: in God's house (v. 13). This might mean more

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your Name, O Most High;

to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night.

✙ Ps 92:1-2

✙

I remember something a church member once said that that inspired me. She was distressed because she'd heard lots of bad things from people needing prayer, including some bad news about a child undergoing cancer treatment. And so she woke up the next morning determined to live "in gratitude" that day.

In Gratitude is a nice place to live. And it's always an option. When we hear bad news from somebody else, we should not thank God that the bad thing didn't happen to us. Our gratitude should be for the little things and for life itself. Why complain that we're not like those who are rich or

Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my Name.

✙ Ps 91:14 ✙

Based on the Hebrew verbs חָשַׁק (which implies attachment) and אֲשַׂגְּבֵהוּ (which is a passive verb implying impenetrability), I might paraphrase v. 14 this way:

If you cling to me, I'll bring you through. I'll make it impossible to get inside the head of the one who knows who I Am.

I'm zeroing in on this verse this morning, because it reveals something I really need to know. In an era when a dangerous narcissist has conquered much of the Christian church, it is reassuring to know that the psalmist is speaking of more than just a physical conflict. Sometimes battles are psychological, and the battle for the mind of people of faith is of no less importance than what happened at Gettysburg or at Omaha Beach.

When a leader—whether civil or ecclesiastical—utilizes power to tell her or his followers not to believe what they see and hear, to put others down, to shift the blame to victims, to sanctify harassment and bullying, and even to engage in petty name-calling, it might seem obvious that those who name themselves after Christ (i.e. Christians) would be immune. But if I cling to

People get into bad situations. I see it all the time. Maybe I even do it all the time. We find ourselves up against the wall, and sometimes we ask ourselves where the promises of God are when we really need them. But more often than not, the scrapes we find ourselves in are of our own doing, and would have been perfectly avoidable had we followed our conscience or done what we knew was right in the first place.

In the Gospels, we find Jesus being tempted by the devil to throw himself off the pinnacle of the temple. Why? Because of this promise of God:

For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.

✙ Ps 91:11-12

✙

Alexander Maclaren, in his Expositions of Holy Scripture, had this to say

World Communion Sunday

The first Sunday in October is always World Communion Sunday. The text for my message is Ephesians 2:13-22. Music in today's service includes Franck's Panis Angelicus, a hymn unique to the Chalice Hymnal called When You Do This, Remember Me, and the Lord's Prayer in Swahili. Here's the order of worship:

00:00 Chimes
00:28 Prélude: Panis Angelicus
04:45 Welcome
05:50 Call to Worship: Psalm 133

You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence; he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day. or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that wastes at noonday.

✙ Ps 91:1-6

✙

There's always something to fear. Even when the frightened feel secure or the fearless feel strong, we humans always have a point of vulnerability—in the dark we fear what we can't see; in broad daylight we fear being seen. Though many psalms speak of God's protection, none do so more effectively than Psalm 91. I think what makes this psalm so beautiful is how the

Today is the German national holiday, the Day of German Unity (der Tag der Deutschen Einheit). When the Berlin Wall fell in November 1989 and German unity was finally achieved, I had almost forgotten that this happened: On Christmas Day in Berlin, Leonard Bernstein conducted an east/west combined orchestra which performed Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. When they sang the chorale (Schiller's Ode to Joy), they replaced the word Freude (joy) with Freiheit (freedom).

This was the last time Bernstein conducted this symphony; he died the following October.

In the following video of this event, the final theme begins at 1:01:47, and the

Let your work be manifest to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.

✙ Ps 90:16

✙

The Christian church these days seems to be possessed by a demon of consumerism. It is considered to be an article of faith among those claiming to be evangelical that God's blessings are not just to be used, but to be used up. Because they have hitched the wagon of their faith to the star of a political agenda, they have chosen consumerism over stewardship, and themselves over their own children.

Yet in reading this penultimate verse of the 90th Psalm, I noted that Calvin seems to disagree with my contemporary brothers and sisters, saying that "by this example we are taught, that in our prayers we ought to extend our care to those who are to come after us." As Christians, our lives are not

Turn, O Lord! How long? Have compassion on your servants!
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us, and as many years as we have seen evil.

✙ Ps 90:13-15

✙

As obsessed as I am with my own problems, it's too easy for me to forget the problems behind the various psalms. Psalm 90, for example, is about the passage of time, but the days mentioned in it are being measured as time spent in exile. The question, "How long?" is therefore more than just a complaint made by whiners. It's an honest question asked by many around the world:

How long must I be banished from my home?
How long must I wait for the bombing to stop?
How long must I wait for persecution to end?
How long must I wait for an end to famine?

I am led by this little portion of Psalm 90 to think about two passages from

Day by Day

So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.

✙ Ps 90:12

✙

I have a heart condition. Part of it is my own fault—not enough exercise, too much food—and part of it is inherited. It's not as bad as I thought it was at first, but it's still a fact of life I live with. One of the consequences, however, is that it's given me a new way to measure time. Every day, twice a day, I have pills I need to take. This is now one of the ways I measure my days, in fact. And every Saturday evening I open my pill organizer and get out my bottles and fill up each slot, morning, and evening, Sunday through Saturday. This is one of the ways I now measure my week. And every month I make a trip to the pharmacy to have my prescriptions refilled—yet another, longer unit of time made more measurable by pills.

There was a time when I did not fully appreciate all those who needed to measure time like this. Now I understand. It's not the entirety of who I am, but it is part of who I am. With age has come a certain wisdom—namely, that I am vulnerable. It's just ironic that the "heart of wisdom" talked about