Psalm of the Day for Friday, January 15, 2010.
It’s 12:42 am on Saturday! I suppose I could “cheat” and crank out a lot of these reflections in advance and simply schedule them to post “right on time”. My dear ones, there’s only One who is always “right on time”. (Some of you know To Whom I’m referring. ) Sistertech is fortunate, at least she thinks she is, in that she lacks any serious difficulty with the sin of striving for perfection. I would tell you my other sins, but let’s face it: we’ve just met. I’m not that kind of Tech.
So while the posts may from time to time be “late” from the perspective of picky humans, please rest assured that when Sistertech adjusts her wings and attends to The Document, she really is coming at it “live” — mistakes and all.
Psalm 17
1Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry;
give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit.
2From you let my vindication come;
let your eyes see the right.
In our line of work, clients and even our colleagues, will often doubt the elegant solutions we offer to resolve computer difficulties. Sistertech knows of one recently retired Tech who, someone questioned her solution, would mutter: “Fine. Don’t trust an angel! See how far it gets you!” This, shall we say, is itself, not the most elegant of responses to such situations. What’s worse are those situations when others lie about what one has said, done, or thought. From my personal experience, I’ve found it much better to allow The One In Charge to be the final arbiter of who is right and who is wrong. And the Psalms are brimming with reminders of how and why this is a good operating practice.
3If you try my heart, if you visit me by night,
if you test me, you will find no wickedness in me;
my mouth does not transgress.
4As for what others do, by the word of your lips
I have avoided the ways of the violent.
5My steps have held fast to your paths;
my feet have not slipped.
The Psalmist does set a rather high bar. There’s no getting around it. But Sistertech thinks it never hurts to aspire to more than others might assert you are capable of achieving. I was going to say that Sistertech tries always to “outdo” herself. This it not true. I rarely even try to do that. I’ve already confessed that I am not perfect. What makes me think, then, that I can sing this psalm along with the Psalmist whilst retaining any modicum of credibility?
Good question.
Two guidelines help Sistertech. I gladly pass them on to you. Always, always, always try to NOT make the same mistake twice. (Making new mistakes is perfectly acceptable as far as Sistertech is concerned. What one wants to do is reduce the number of endless loops. Second, one must always, always, always take a moment to discern whether or not the omission or commission of a thought, word, or deed revokes one’s salvation. In other words, when in doubt Sistertech asks herself, “Does my salvation depend on this person’s opinion of me? Of my work? Of my spinach salad dressing? Or of my interpretation of the Psalms, for that matter?”
The answer clearly is, “No. It does not.” Once that has been settled, Sistertech finds that the various complaints that are inevitable in our line of work usually can be set aside with alacrity.
6I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me, hear my words.
7Wondrously show your steadfast love,
O saviour of those who seek refuge
from their adversaries at your right hand.
I love this next part for it has brought me a great deal of comfort.
8Guard me as the apple of the eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings,
The Psalms certainly has a keen view for what it feels like to be cornered and desperate. If nothing else, we know that we’re not alone in enduring the difficulties we find ourselves in. In fact, it’s rather nice to hear someone else say to you, “I just hate it when that happens to me!” These words of the Psalmist remind Sistertech that whatever difficulty she’s facing, she can count on The One In Charge to help her out.
9from the wicked who despoil me,
my deadly enemies who surround me.
10They close their hearts to pity;
with their mouths they speak arrogantly.
11They track me down; now they surround me;
they set their eyes to cast me to the ground.
12They are like a lion eager to tear,
like a young lion lurking in ambush.
13Rise up, O Lord, confront them, overthrow them!
By your sword deliver my life from the wicked,
14from mortals—by your hand, O Lord—
from mortals whose portion in life is in this world.
May their bellies be filled with what you have stored up for them;
may their children have more than enough;
may they leave something over to their little ones.
I’m not a big fan of sarcasm and some Psalms are quite heavy handed in this regard. But the point is unmistakable: there is a clear distinction here about the agendas we pursue. While the point of the psalm is a negative one here, I read it as a reminder to be as choosy as possible: do I want to pursue this kind of thing or that? Choices have consequences.
15As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness;
when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness.
Hmm. “Awake”. One must first be asleep before one can be awake. Minor detail.