1 Rise up, O God, and scatter your enemies. Let those who hate God run for their lives.
2 Blow them away like smoke. Melt them like wax in a fire. Let the wicked perish in the presence of God.
3 But let the godly rejoice. Let them be glad in God’s presence. Let them be filled with joy.
4 Sing praises to God and to his name! Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds. His name is the Lord—rejoice in his presence!
5 Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—this is God, whose dwelling is holy.
6 God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.
7 O God, when you led your people out from Egypt, when you marched through the dry wasteland,
Interlude
8 The earth trembled, and the heavens poured down rain before you, the God of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel.
9 You sent abundant rain, O God, to refresh the weary land.
10 There your people finally settled, and with a bountiful harvest, O God, you provided for your needy people.
11 The Lord gives the word, and a great army brings the good news.
12 Enemy kings and their armies flee, while the women of Israel divide the plunder.
13 Even those who lived among the sheepfolds found treasures—doves with wings of silver and feathers of gold.
14 The Almighty scattered the enemy kings like a blowing snowstorm on Mount Zalmon.
15 The mountains of Bashan are majestic, with many peaks stretching high into the sky.
16 Why do you look with envy, O rugged mountains, at Mount Zion, where God has chosen to live, where the Lord himself will live forever?
17 Surrounded by unnumbered thousands of chariots, the Lord came from Mount Sinai into his sanctuary.
18 When you ascended to the heights, you led a crowd of captives. You received gifts from the people, even from those who rebelled against you. Now the Lord God will live among us there.
God places the lonely in families...
This is one of the most interesting phrases I have come across in the psalms. And more...the previous verse tells us God is "father to the fatherless, defender of the widows." It's almost as though God cannot operate fully without being in relationship.
Actually, not "almost." Relationships are the ground upon which God's activities are sewn and harvested. Its probably accurate to say God has done nothing without relationship in mind. Even this earth we habitate...God created with us in mind.
This makes me think that we may never fully appreciate or understand what God has done for us if we don't cultivate healthy relationships. Andrew Greeley once said "Husbands and wives are sacraments to one another. They are the closest thing on earth any of us will get to knowing God.
This is very serious.
Take a look at your spouse. Not what they do, but what they are meant to be...in relationship with you. Think about the meaning of that...at its very best. Its hard to imagine anything better than a real good marriage. That's why we should put so much energy into that relationship...to keep it running in perfect form. Now...as we imagine the possibilities of how good that can be, and how good it has been at times, and multiply that exponentially...we get a picture of who God wants to be for us.
This surely doesn't mean we have to be married. I think it does mean, however, that good relationships are still the model God uses to explain himself to us. So, if we aren't married we should seek out relationships that test us, strengthen us and comfort us. I have two friends...a brother and sister who are that to each other...because they have no other family. Their devotion to one another seems to bring out the best in both. Through it, each probably has a very healthy understanding of God.
After all this, though, the greatest word of hope is if we don't have a relationship, and can't find a relationship, God will find one for us. Why? Because being alone is lonely...and "God places the lonely in families." It may not be a husband or a wife...although it often is. But it will be an opportunity for God to demonstrate His love for us in a way you can most easily recognize.
It may not happen as you expect, or as quickly as you expect, but when it does it is the most intoxicatingly delicious thing in the world. Ask my friend Ramie. She's the happiest woman I know...I read her posts every day. But...when God places you there...look into that person's eyes and imagine God looking back at you. Would it change anything?
Live boldly out there today...
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