My Devotion

Prayer
Dear Lord, what is all this violence that we see in our world today? Where are you in the midst of all of this? What can we expect of the rest of our days here on this earth? I can only ask of you that you protect us and deliver us from this blood letting for power and position. Help us all to realize the foolishness in unequal scales and inhumane treatments of one another. Lift up your word LORD... lift up your voice that the violent of heart and mind might hear a new gospel and repent of their violent notions and uncivilized manner and find a new way of life. Help us all LORD... help us all to live at peace with one another and treat each other as brothers and sisters, no matter our differences. Dear LORD, do what only YOU can do, bring peace to our world and to our communities, in Jesus name. Amen.

Psalm 58

Reflection
"The righteous will rejoice when they see vengeance done; they will bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked" As a song writer myself, it is hard for me to imagine singing this psalm. The imagery presented here is overtly graphic. Of course this is spoken from a man that has never seen any of his loved ones shot down in pool of blood. Nor have I witnessed the murder of any of my friends. How would I read this "hymn" if I lived in Baghdad where violence is an everyday event? There are parts of our world that reek with bloodshed. Even the innocent are ruthlessly displayed as prizes for those who would lope off heads! Graphic enough? To be sure... today I will ponder whether or not there is such a thing as a "Holy War". According to this psalmist, there is... and it will come when the wicked lie dead at our feet. I live a sheltered life... and I am thankful for that and am indebted to those who would put themselves in harms way that I might live such a peace possible existence... I can only speculate how I would "sing" if I were forced to live face to face with the horror of war... today, I pray for world peace... and peace for the city... and peace within all and in each of everyone who now lives or who will ever live.