SUNDAY TIMES

Title: "Praying For Our Enemies"
Scripture Passage: Psalm 43
Meditation: by Michele Herschberger

"Psalm 43, at least verse 1, is not a psalm quoted much in my congregation. As a member of a peace church, I belong to a people who don't feel right about calling down lightning on personal enemies or even national enemies. It doesn't sound WWJD enough.

"On one hand, that's a good reaction. Jesus wouldn't and didn't cry out with the anger displayed in many psalms. His words were, 'Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing.'

"Upon closer inspection, however, maybe verse 1 isn't so bad. I do have enemies, from the people who just irritate me to the more malignant evildoers who really threaten me. Shouldn't I be honest about my fear and my anger with the God who knows every corner of my soul already? I do want vindication sometimes, and I can't get past those feelings until I admit they exist.

"And who's doing the vindication anyway? In this psalm and in every other psalm that speaks of vengeance, the psalmists, every time without exception, call on God, and only God, to repay the oppressor. Only God is to decide when and how -- and who -- is to be repaid and receive their fair due.

"Only God is wise enough. Only God is holy enough.

"Only God loves enough.

"We have enemies. We are angry. That's the truth.

"But we aren't wise enough, pure enough, to vindicate ourselves. That's not our job. We can never see the whole picture clearly enough.

"But God can. Tell him. Tell him now."

Reprinted by permission from Now It Springs Up by Carol Duerksen, Michele Hershberger, and Laurie Oswald Robinson. Published by WillowSpring Downs, email willowspringdowns@juno.com

We're back - again

Yeh, I know its been a long time since I've written but, you see, we were gone and blogging wasn't in my schedule then. But now we're home.

We visited our daughter and family over the 4th. What a great time! Three great grandsons, one new one, three granddaughters, two husbands, one daughter and her husband, and one son. The little new one is only 7 weeks old, the other two greats are 16-1/2 and 18 months. A lot of noise at times, lots of laughing, telling stories, and just plain visitin'. Of course there was eating out, swatting mosquitos, watching some backyard fireworks, and all that stuff that goes along with that kind of get-together.

But its good to be home. Some concerns with the car - gotta get them checked out soon. But other than quivering when filling up the gas tank, all went pretty well. It always rains when we travel across Missouri on I-70, and this time no failing with that. Wet pavement and a little rain, enough of both to make the wipers run most of the way in MO going out, and coming home, yes, one small cloud dropped enough wet stuff to get our windshield wet, but I was determined not to run the wipers, and I got by with that.

The weather was so nice there - until yesterday (Sunday). Then it got hot and oh so muggy. And being only a few miles from the flood waters, many, many bugs. Mosquitos and little green bugs everywhere. And sure enough it was hot when we got back to Kansas. And the wind was blowing briskly. What else would you expect?

But its good to be home. And my bed will feel good again - (well, it already has because I took a late afternoon nap after we got home). Not that we didn't have a good bed while away. The kids always make us sleep in their great big king size bed with adjustable air mattresses. That's always great, but one wonders sometimes at night if you're the only one in bed.

So much for all that. I'll try to do better next time. Still, I remain

Pilgrim on the way