“Really meaning business”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Thursday, September 8, 2022
Psalm 50 (Forward, p. 41) CEV p. 584
Many people over the years have tried to puzzle out, figure out, just how we are to please God. Actually, such speculation is quite unnecessary, quite futile and off the mark, for we don’t have to search for it at all, or be, even in the slightest, in the dark about what God wants. Here, in today’s passage, He spells it out most clearly what He wants and doesn’t want.
First off, what He doesn’t want?
-He doesn’t want animal sacrifices
-And, he doesn’t want mere words, idle intentions that aren’t borne out in practice:
-disobedience
-friendship with crooks and adulterers
-talk about violence
-lies and gossip
-and He doesn’t people who ignore Him in their daily lives
And, what does He want?
-He wants respect for His laws and obedience;
-He wants people who listen & correct their ways when reproved By Himself;
-He wants hearts and lips full of thanksgiving;
-And He wants people who honour their commitments and keep their word.
And interestingly, He describes these things, the things He wants, as a kind of sacrifice—as indeed it is. Often, we would rather do things our own way, rather follow our own inclinations and agendas than doing His will and obeying His commands, rather plow right on willy nilly rather than accept His correction or guidance, rather gather praise and adulation unto ourselves instead of giving God the honour, glory, praise and thanksgiving. Indeed, these are often things that we’d rather not give up, things that often cost us dearly. But then, that’s what He wants, and, as people who belong to Him, surely that is what we should want as well. Amen.
Forward notes: “I know every bird in the sky, and the creatures of the fields are in my sight” (verse 11).
“I love to watch birds and hear their unique calls. I treasure the sight of the first hooded merganser in the wintery days. I like to watch the sandpipers dance on the shore. I always marvel when I see an osprey dive straight down into the water and pull out a fish. I love to hear the raspy call of the great blue heron flying overhead and to see them fish intently in the shallow waters on the edge of Long Island Sound.
“I am especially fond of cardinals, blue jays, mockingbirds, egrets, herons, and raptors. I see cardinals and blue jays fly past my window as I work, and I often hear the songs of the mockingbird before I see them. The variety of birds on earth is shrinking, and it worries and saddens me. God knows all the birds of the air. God sees and loves the chipmunks, the mice, the voles, the deer, the foxes, the coyotes, the insects, and all that move in the fields. Let us cherish these creations and protect all that God has made.”
MOVING FORWARD: “What steps can you take today to help protect and safeguard God’s creations?”
