For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

Psalm 33:4-5 (NRSV)

Today is the first year anniversary of the attack on the Capitol. That event was the reason I began the Faithful Conversations blog. I did it because I felt the need to take action. I thought putting a little more love, peace, joy, and hope into the world of social media, and grounding it in God’s steadfast word would help me deal with the anxiety and disappointment I was feeling at the time. The world seemed to be going crazy!

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After a year, I can say that it has helped me tremendously. Writing these little posts has enhanced my faith life, and maybe it has helped some other people, as well. I’ve gained a few followers over the year, and I am grateful to God that my words have meaning for them. It is my prayer that all my readers continue to find the touch of God’s hand in their lives, and a measure of love, hope, joy, and/or peace in God’s word. I plan to continue this journey with God’s word and prayer, and I hope you’ll join me along the way!

Reading this passage from Psalm 33, I am reminded that God’s word, expressed a million different ways, is the pathway guiding us with how to live in this crazy world. But what if we can’t see the path? What if we aren’t sure about the right thing to do? The next verse helps make it a little clearer. God loves righteousness and justice. This reminds me of the verse in Micah (Micah 6:8) that says the Lord loves for us to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. The verse in this Psalm is saying the same thing. When we aren’t sure what the right thing is, try reducing it to these actions. Does the pathway we are considering urge us to do justice for our neighbors? Does it require us to be kind and walk humbly with God, i.e. live righteously? If so, we are probably going in the right direction.

My favorite part of this passage is the last statement. The earth is full of God’s steadfast love. With all of the craziness going on in the world, this little reminder is reassuring to me. We are surrounded by the love of God. Every blade of grass, every animal, every person we encounter, the very molecules of air that we breathe are permeated with God’s everlasting love. I like to think that means we have God’s love in us, around us, and with us whatever we decide to do. We also have Emmanuel – God With Us – in Jesus. What a wonderful gift for God’s beloved children!

I like little reminders like this psalm when I’m feeling overwhelmed by life. Thanks be to God!

Prayer

Creator of the Universe, help me to see the evidence of your love that surrounds me on my pathway through life. Help me to live a righteous life and advocate for justice for your beloved children. Thank you for the gift of your son, Jesus. Amen.