Remember me

The days of old...Psalm 143, part 2

Last week, in part 1, we reflected on the Evening prayer, Psalm 143, focused on the faithfulness and righteousness of God in the face of the “crushing” of the enemy.

In that post I discussed my evening prayers, and why what hangs on the walls of my office makes it a perfect place of prayer and reflection.

This week we’ll wrap up part 2 as we look back to remember the days of old and look forward to the satisfaction of each morning’s steadfast love.

Post dates:

1. He has crushed my life (5/7)

2. I remember the days of old… (5/14)

3. …In the morning…your merciful love (5/14)

Note: Part 1 is linked at the end of the bottom of this post, in case you missed it last week.

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2. I remember the days of old…

“I remember the days of old, I meditate on all that you have done; I muse on what your hands have wrought. I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Make haste to answer me, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the Pit.” Psalm 143:5-7 NRSV.

Your way is holy

Throughout the Psalms, evening prayer is wrapped around the threats of the enemy; a common theme is to “remember” God in the watches of the night, to appeal to the “years of the most high.” (Ps 77).

The words used by David in Psalm 143…remember…meditate…muse, drive home the impression this is a time of thoughtful reflection on the works of God; in creation, supernaturally, or in the graces extended to us. My parents often challenged us to “count our blessings.” I know I didn’t appreciate the wisdom behind it at the time, but yes, I needed to take the time to make the list!

And the remembering must be intentional: what happened, what did we learn, what did it shape in us, how did we grow through it?

The meditation and musing imply a depth, a personal relationship, further emphasized by the yearning to see God’s face as well as the stretching out of his hands.

This ensures we’re not just engaging with or being distracted by our feelings, but instead, recalling the goodness of God, gaining strength and perspective in the process!

Psalm 77 also has a similar structure: “In the day of my trouble…my hands are stretched out…I remember the years,” but without a speedy resolution, even goes on to ask the hard question, “has his steadfast love forever ceased…his promises at an end for all time?” (Ps 77: 2,5,8 NRSV).

Thankfully, right on the heels of this desperate plea, comes the remembering, as the climax of Psalm 77 occurs with a poetic rendering of the parting of the Red Sea:

“Your way, O God, is holy…With your arm you redeemed your people…when the waters saw you, they were afraid…your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen…you led your people like a flock…” Psalm 77: 13,15,16,19 NRSV.

I especially like this; God present and active, leading the way, yet not with a footprint. I need to remember this myself when I consider the works of God, particularly in the actions of the Holy Spirit, where God may only be seen by the effect that he makes!

This also reminds me that it often helps to step back from our immediate challenges and remember with a “long view.”

When I think back on the 11 times that we moved as a family, including a yearlong military deployment, I walk away with a deeper appreciation of the protection of our Father and how he guided and sheltered us over the years. Yes, there were difficult times, but we were never out of His sight and constantly reassured by His love.

Reflection:

Think about the past; when has God made a way, when there “seemed to be no way?”

Remember me

Here’s a song, “Remember me,” sung by Mark Schultz, which is an encouragement to “remember” what God has done—throughout your life—in which He has already remembered you and me. (You tube link at the bottom of the post).

“Remember me, in a Bible cracked and faded by the years

Remember me, in a sanctuary filled with silent prayer

And age to age and heart-to-heart, Bound by grace and peace

Child of wonder, child of God, I’ve remembered you, Remember me

Remember me, when the color of our sunset fills the sky

Remember me, when you pray and tears of joy fall from your eyes

And age to age and heart-to-heart, Bound by grace and peace

Child of wonder, child of God, I’ve remembered you, Remember me

Remember me, when the children leave their Sunday school with smiles

Remember me, when they’re old enough to teach, old enough to preach, old enough to leave

And age to age and heart-to-heart, Bound by grace and peace

Child of wonder, child of God, I’ve remembered you, Remember me…”

Songwriters: Denise Rich, Johnny Most.

Child of wonder

This song reminds me of Psalm 71:6-7:

“Upon You have I relied and been sustained from my birth; You are He who took me from my mother’s womb and You have been my benefactor from that day. My praise is continually of You. I am as a wonder to many, For You are my strong refuge.” Psalm‬ ‭71‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭AMP

Remembering for me is the memory of God’s presence, even as a young boy. It didn’t mean everything was ideal, some things I will never understand, but as I look back, glories abound!

God wants us to remember all that he gives us—in Christ. For as he shaped our lives in the womb and captured every day in his book, before even one was lived, he was present and delighting in us, children of wonder, as his creation…even in our darkest and most uncertain of days, he is holding and leading us (Ps 139).

Reflection:

Think back from your youth—to the present. Where and how has he sustained you, and been a “strong refuge?”

What am I remembering—of all that God has done?

The first thing that comes to mind…at the top level, is all that is contained in the Nicene Creed regarding the trinity and the church—creation—love incarnate—resurrection—new life in the Spirit—the world to come—so much there! When we recite this each weekend during the Mass—I am still moved!

Jesus’ sacrifice and eternal gift of himself in the Eucharist.

God’s word, cover to cover!

All of the created world; filled with beauty, yet vast beyond imagination. And man, made in the image of God…created to love and give glory to God…who are we that you even care for us?

And at a personal level, remembering His mighty deeds…with a long view

A place to call home…and a family to belong to…

Feeling the wind of the Spirit…baptized, confirmed, led to Christ, and the Word came to life…again and again…year after year…all in the neighborhood church

A life-long love for reading, in a quiet place on a summer afternoon

A vocation that took me airborne, far away from home, and far outside my comfort zone, joined in the journey by a partner for life! We’d still say “I do…”

The next generation…mighty sons…and grandchildren, teaching me to laugh, yet my eyes are misty…

Reflection:

What about you? How do you remember the mighty deeds of God??

3. In the morning…

“Let me hear in the morning of your merciful love, for in you I put my trust. Teach me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.” Psalm 143:8 NRSV.

Last week we discussed the Evening prayer as a cry for help leading to repentance and a call to “remember” in the watches of the night. In a similar way, the remembering is purposed to bring us into the steadfast love of the morning.

What is it about the promises of a new day that gives us hope? We pray for clarity in the darkness; we must “win the night,” trusting God will lead us into the joy and glory of a new day!

Things may look bleak as we wait, clinging to Him through the night vigil, but He is present even in the darkness!

The prayer is to hear of His merciful love, let us greet the new day, eager to hear His words of blessing over us, a song and a shout!

Mercy and steadfast love

Over and over again in the Psalms, the light of the morning comes with a proclamation and revelation of God’s merciful, steadfast love!

It’s particularly true when the evening is filled with dread or fear. In Psalm 57, David cries “I lie in the midst of lions,” but is trusting God to send “his mercy and faithfulness” as he prepares to “awake the dawn!”

The same contrast is presented in David’s Psalm 30:5, “weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” Interestingly, the word picture for the “night” suggests lodging for an evening, so the time is limited, while the joy cited here has a Biblical cross reference to 2 Corinthians 4:17, which compares “this slight momentary affliction” to an “eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.”

What a tremendous reminder of the faithfulness of God to bring an exceedingly “weighty” blessing of joy!

A similar comparison is highlighted in a familiar passage from Jeremiah’s Lamentations, chapter 3:

“He has filled me with bitterness…my soul is bereft of peace…the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning, great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:15,17,22,23 NRSV.

Difficult times and the darkness of the night are named and finite—but God never ceases to bring his mercy; it’s “day one” every morning!

These same “mercies and faithfulness” are how God “names” himself to Moses when he “issues” the ten commandments in Exodus 34. It is how God will always be known to Moses, who the Lord knew “face to face.” (Deuteronomy 34:10). Is that how he is known to you and me?

Number our days

Speaking of Moses, and the steadfast love of God in the morning, his Psalm 90 is my “go-to” when I am seeking God’s encouragement:

Psalm 90 describes the brevity of life and also issues a call to repentance, especially to “number our days.”

“You turn men back to the dust...for a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is gone...you sweep men away...you have set our iniquities before you...our years come to an end like a sigh...their span is but toil and trouble...so teach us to number our days that we might get a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90: 3-5, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14 NRSV.

Let the Favor of God be Upon Us

Numbering our days doesn’t mean passively standing by, but making the most of each day, every morning engaging and leaning into the days we are given, honoring God with the best of our gifts and abilities as we live, work, love, serve, worship and pray.

Especially Pray! There are so many different ways that we can pray--as a Catholic Christian, I love praying the Liturgy of the Hours and the Rosary, but I also spend an hour each week in the Adoration chapel at our church in front of the Blessed Sacrament, praying and listening.

If “life is short”--then how should we pray?? Psalm 90 includes several strong prayers of blessing for the evening and the morning:

“Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love...”

“Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us...”

“Let your work be manifest to your servants and your glorious power to their children...”

“Let the favor of God be upon us...”

“Establish the work of our hands...”

Psalm 90:14-17 NRSV

To be satisfied with this love is to trust in the steadfast, forgiving love of Christ, remembering this love even when we suffer “crushing” and affliction of any kind. May we see God’s work in our lives, impacting the next generations, and may he bring strength and goodness to the work he has given us!

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Last week’s post, Psalm 143, Part 1, Evening Prayer