Today’s Scripture Reading (September
4, 2013): Psalm 49
Who do you
trust – really? I think we live in a culture that is suffering through an
epidemic of mistrust. I was recently in the hospital and I met an older
gentleman. I wanted to read my book, but he wanted to talk. And so we talked. I
think he was just lonely, but what came out of his mouth was just a litany of
mistrust. The Doctors didn’t know what they were doing. Everyone was just in it
for the money – if he had enough money all of his health issues would be in the
past. He suffered because everyone was chasing the coin - and he meant everyone
and he wasn’t afraid to list them. The basis of his mistrust was clearly that
the things in his life that he thought should be fixed were still broken. And
that brokenness had produced a whole lot of mistrust.
The Doctor
came and spoke to him. I personally thought he did a great job of explaining
the situation. He changed the medication that he was on and explained that it
would take a few days for the new medication to have the desired effect. And
the man left with his new prescription in hand only to return a few minutes
later. He waved at me as he walked by and then shook his head as he went in
search of the Doctor. Apparently the new medicine had already failed.
Our severe
lack of trust in people is reflected in the idea that the only one we can
really trust is ourselves. But the Psalmist warns us on that account as well.
If we trust only in ourselves, we are like sheep destined to die. A lamb has no
control over what is about to happen to it. It just happens. And when it is
being led to the slaughter, all of the hands that are looking after it are the
hands of death. Death has become its shepherd – its caring hands.
The promise
of the psalmist is that that is not the way it is for those of us willing to
trust in God. To paraphrase David, even when we are walking through the valley
of death, we have nothing to fear. Death never has the chance to become the
only caring hands of our existence. And we have the hope that only comes with
God – that we will be the ones who will triumph in the morning.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm
50
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