WEDNESDAY, February 3 (Anskar) | Today's Meditation

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WEDNESDAY, February 3 (Anskar)

EDITOR'S NOTE: 2010 marks the 75th anniversary of Forward Day by Day. To commemorate this milestone, the meditations from February 1, 2010 through January 31, 2011 feature reprints of the most outstanding meditations from our past 75 years. The year each meditation was originally written is included at the end of the meditation. To learn more about our anniversary and the selection process for these meditations, click here. We encourage you also to share your comments about these classic meditations below. Our editor, Richard Schmidt, will be responding to comments for these meditations.

Psalm 72. He shall come down like rain upon the mown field, like showers that water the earth.

There are few more striking things said about God in the Bible—or anywhere else—than these words. God comes down like thunder, like lightning, in a thousand other manifestations of his power. Of course—but who except our psalmist compares him to the rain, the showers that water the earth? Shakespeare's Portia comes close when she says of mercy that it drops "as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath." But she's talking about an attribute of God. The psalmist is talking about God himself, coming down like that gentle, nourishing, life-giving rain.

God is coming down like rain in your own life. You may not be vividly aware of it at this moment, or at any moment, because it is so gentle and quiet—that coming down. Yet it is this very shower of God himself that keeps you alive, as the rain keeps the grass of the field alive. How could you live without it?

As Augustine wrote: God is semper agens, semper quietus—"always active, always quiet." (1983)

PRAY for the Diocese of Armidale (New South Wales, Australia)

Ps * 119:73-96; Genesis 22:1-18; Hebrews 11:23-31; John 6:52-59

View the daily Lectionary Readings at Satucket.com.
Or view the Bible passages at Biblegateway.com.

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Ps 72

Feb 03, 2010 at 8:43 am

Written by Josh,

I think it is important to read the verse in the context of the passage. David is saying a prayer on behalf of Soloman. The verse is speaking of the king, not of God.

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Feb 03, 2010 at 8:44 am

Written by Kevin T,

This is the best example of how works in our lives. When it seems like its not going the way it should or things are going wrong, that is God raining on us and making us realize that the rain is going to help us grow.

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Feb 03, 2010 at 10:22 am

Written by Andrea,

Josh, what you said is true, but it seems to me that the king and God are being conflated here. The psalm begins by asking God to give the king God's righteousness, so that he can act as God acts toward his people. Everything that follows can be read as being true of both the king AND God. At least, that's how I interpreted it. Why do you think it is important to make the distinction you make? How does that change your response to the psalm? I'd like to understand what you mean better. I always learn so much from seeing other people's thoughts in these comments.

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Feb 03, 2010 at 11:29 am

Written by Richard H. Schmidt, Editor, "Forward Day by Day",

I agree with Andrea on this verse. Yes, it pertains to Solomon (that's assuming David wrote the psalm about his son, not a sure thing) but the psalm is a prayer that God will endow the king with a divine quality, justice. It will be that endowment from God, not any quality inherent in the king himself, that comes down like rain on the mown field. God sends blessings through people who are willing to accept what he gives.

and there's the rub

Feb 03, 2010 at 6:39 pm

Written by daniel,

richard - your point about God's blessings is correct - it's truly then our issue - are we willing to accept what He gives? i try more and more every day to do that -

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Feb 04, 2010 at 10:13 pm

Written by Josh,

Sorry for the late response - Andrea, I think that's a great point I did not jump to in my reading of the editors note. There are so many instances where one verse taken out of context leads to incorrect and sometimes heretical beliefs that I tend to be a bit cautious.

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