Psalm 112:1-9 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 112:1-9 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1Praise the Lord! Happy are those who fear the Lord, who greatly delight in his commandments.
Verse 2Their descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Verse 3Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever.
Verse 4They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright; they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.
Verse 5It is well with those who deal generously and lend, who conduct their affairs with justice.
Verse 6For the righteous will never be moved; they will be remembered forever.
Verse 7They are not afraid of evil tidings; their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord.
Verse 8Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
Verse 9They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor; their righteousness endures forever; their horn is exalted in honor.
Devotion
It is easy to be enveloped in our society’s generalized anxiety and fear, the result of constantly hearing bad news. While the gift of technology allows us to connect directly with ongoing crises and events around the world, that gift becomes warped if it causes us to build walls between us and our closest neighbors. Fear can make us voyeurs of other people’s lives rather than loving neighbors. In its grip, we begin to be anxious about random acts of nature or violence far distant from us, but do not fear for the lives of sisters and brothers who long for us to simply know their names and share a word of recognition and comfort. The Psalmist reminds us that the ‘righteous’ need not be afraid of bad news. When our hearts are tuned to God’s good news of life for all, we are free to give ourselves away on behalf of our neighbor.
Prayer
Blessed Jesus, calm our hearts and make us graceful doers of your good news. Amen.