Devotional Messages

DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE

Psalm 52:8-9 – But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God.  I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.  I will thank you forever, because of what you have done.  In the presence of the faithful I will proclaim your name, for it is good.  (NRSV)

The first half of Psalm 52 doesn’t seem very nice.  It is full of accusations against “evildoers” and predictions of their demise.  The psalmist makes the declaration above in contrast to people putting their trust in abundant riches and deceit.  Even if we don’t prefer telling lies to speaking the truth, we can often benefit from the reminder to put our trust in God.  When we do, the psalmist says, we become like a lush tree, fruitful and lovely, growing in a place of safety.

The verses teach us about trust, about eternity and about gratitude.  With God, these three things go together.  We can trust in God because God’s love is steadfast; it never ends, so we can give thanks forever and ever.  The tree image reminds us that even the gift of life itself is one of the good works of God.

What we may not see at first, as we contemplate these more obvious messages, is the teaching about church that is contained in these verses.  The psalmist reminds us that our response to experiencing God’s love and faithfulness is not something we do alone.  “In the presence of the faithful” is where the psalmist wants to speak these praises.  “In the midst of the congregation” is how other psalms put it.

The truth is that as social animals, our human joy is most fully experienced when it is shared.  A congregation is called to witness – one to another and to the world – to the glory, the goodness, and the grace of God. We are called to proclaim Christ to each other, shoring up one another’s trust so that we may all find our place in God’s abundant life.