Psalm Reading: Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20
For Sunday, June 30, 2013 —Ordinary 13
I have noticed that the Psalms are quite popular for use both in worship and personal devotional prayer time.
And understandably so, they seem perfectly suited. They are written as an address to God by an individual, yet speak on universal subjects, such as, wretchedness, sorrow, remorse, suffering (to name a few) on the part of the people and a practically unending recitation of the totally awesome attributes of God.
A Simple Formula
This content is usually organized in a simple formula: I (the psalmist, worshiper or devotee) am wretched, filled with sorrow, remorse, suffering and/or being ill-used by my enemies, followed by the list of God’s awesomeness.
Implicit in this formula, I think, is that God will deliver us from all the suckiness we are experiencing if we just stroke God’s ego. You know, remind God of some of the great things God has done—remember when you delivered your people with your big strong arms? All the other people tremble when you come around displaying all your might, you sure can display a lot of might God. And you have a super good personality; all the people say so, you are compassionate, and loving and steadfast and if you don’t mind us saying you are very good looking, especially when you are redeeming your people (hint, hint).
How Well Do they Work?
The psalms do work well as the expression of a people or an individual to God, an unreasonable venting of complaints and fears and hope and pleading. There is a sort of intimacy, a rawness of emotion that is only shown to someone that is fully trusted.
They work less will when they are used as an appeal to God for God’s good favor. The notion that God will redeem God’s people if we sweet talk God or say the right thing is primitive theology.
The Hardest Question
Wouldn’t God be willing to deliver God’s people even if we don’t tell him he looks like he lost weight?
[THQ Flashback: TheHardestQuestion has just made its first lap on the RCL. Check out what Russell thought of this text back in 2010.]
Russell Rathbun is a preacher at House of Mercy in St. Paul, Minnesota, the author of Midrash on the Juanitos (Cathedral Hill Press, 2010) and the curator of The Hardest Question.
