Rising with Our Lord This Easter Season at Work With the Help of This Psalm - 10
We continue with our special meditation on Psalm 118 (Protestants have it as Psalm 119).Our hope is that we can refresh all we do for the greater glory of God.
As we work our way through each section of this astounding psalm, we'll see how its words can help us in our work, to further hone our daily activities that they serve God even as we serve those to whom we owe an honest day's work.
It's the perfect way to pray and work (ora et labora) our way through this glorious Easter Season.
COPH
145 I cried with my whole heart, hear me, O Lord: I will seek thy justifications. 146 I cried unto thee, save me: that I may keep thy commandments. 147 I prevented the dawning of the day, and cried: because in thy words I very much hoped. 148 My eyes to thee have prevented the morning: that I might meditate on thy words. 149 Hear thou my voice, O Lord, according to thy mercy: and quicken me according to thy mercy. 150 They that persecute me have drawn nigh to iniquity; but they are gone far off from thy law. 151 Thou art near, O Lord: and all thy ways are truth. 152 I have known from the beginning concerning thy testimonies: that thou hast founded them for ever.
Our Psalmist says he has "prevented the morning: that I might meditate on they words." Do we spend time each morning before work studying and reading to build our spiritual reserves? We've seen many times how reading, study, prayer, meditation must be essential components of our day. While not everyone can carve out sufficient time before work each day, we surely can grab chunks of time during or at the end of the day to fulfill our spiritual nourishment. But it's really good practice to spend at least some time before our work day begins to be with the Lord. This connection helps us to "carry Him" with us to work.
Without Him, our work will certainly get done, if we are conscientious. But with Him, it will be transformed into a form of prayer. And only then can we combine our work and spiritual life in any meaningful way.
Notice how often reference is mad throughout the Psalm to those who "persecute" us. While we may not feel persecuted in our workplace, the fact is our world is far from holy, far from faithful to God's law. We may not think that the secular nature of just about everything and everyone "persecutes" us, although it very well may at times. But the constant contact with all that is at best agnostic to God, at worst actively opposed to His Law will wear us down - if we let it.
RES
153 See my humiliation and deliver me: for I have not forgotten thy law. 154 Judge my judgment and redeem me: quicken thou me for thy word's sake. 155 Salvation is far from sinners; because they have not sought thy justifications. 156 Many, O Lord, are thy mercies: quicken me according to thy judgment. 157 Many are they that persecute me, and afflict me; but I have not declined from thy testimonies. 158 I beheld the transgressors, and I pined away; because they kept not thy word. 159 Behold I have loved thy commandments, O Lord; quicken me thou in thy mercy. 160 The beginning of thy words is truth: all the judgments of thy justice are for ever.
In times when we see how those whose actions transgress God's law do in fact oppress us, we must learn to continue to come back to God's Law, to seek his mercy, to be quickened by His Law. Our work will reflect this. Without God, our efforts may justify a pay check. But at some point, we all die. And no matter how many or how large are our paychecks, they will do us not good when we face God to be judged. Only be keeping God's Law, even better keeping God's Presence as an essential component of our daily labor, can our efforts go beyond providing material rewards, rewards which dissipate when we come to the end of our lives.
Happy Easter!
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