Week of Proper 12, Year One
[Go to Mission St Clare for an online version of the Daily Office including today’s scripture readings.]
Today’s Readings for the Daily Office:
Psalms 56, 57, [58] (morning) // 64, 65 (evening)
2 Samuel 2:1-11
Acts 15:36-16:5
Mark 6:14-29
Many days find us in desperate need of divine comfort, for ourselves or for others whose stories we know. This morning’s Psalms offer us some powerful images of the God who comforts us in our deepest sadness and greatest suffering.
In Psalm 56, the psalmist expresses trust in a God who has paid attention to and can keep track of every tear we’ve every shed: “You have noted my lamentation; put my tears into your bottle; are they not recorded in your book?” Imagine God collecting each and every one of our teardrops, storing them to let us know that they didn’t fall and dissipate unnoticed.
Psalm 57 appeals to God as a being who can give us shelter like a protective bird: “in the shadow of your wings will I take refuge until this time of trouble has gone by.” Imagine nestling under the wings and into the breast of a God who can keep us safe and snug until as trouble, grief, and danger pass through us.
Whether or not today’s circumstances make us cry out for comfort and refuge, these images of God are here whenever we need them. This God collects our tears, shelters us with wings, and meets us wherever we are.
Lora Walsh blogs about taking risks and seeking grace at A Daily Scandal. She serves as curate of Grace Episcopal Church in Siloam Springs and as director of the Ark Fellows, an Episcopal Service Corps program sponsored by St. Paul’s in Fayetteville, Arkansas.