You Are Not Alone. On Purpose. Psalm 78

A text – Psalm 78:23-29

78:23 Yet he commanded the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven;
78:24 he rained down on them manna to eat, and gave them the grain of heaven.
78:25 Mortals ate of the bread of angels; he sent them food in abundance.
78:26 He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens, and by his power he led out the south wind;
78:27 he rained flesh upon them like dust, winged birds like the sand of the seas;
78:28 he let them fall within their camp, all around their dwellings.
78:29 And they ate and were well filled, for he gave them what they craved.

A reflection:

This is a psalm that extols the mighty acts of God on behalf of God’s beloved children. What is God doing? Commanding that meat and bread fall from heaven. These people belonged to God, so God  cared for them by feeding them.

Is this the reason Jesus prayed to bless the loaves and fishes and then sent them out among the 5000 people? To show that God was still feeding them, even in a deserted place? To show that no human being did this, but God alone did this? The final sentence of this part of the psalm says almost the same thing as the New Testament miracle story says: And they ate and were filled.

God hears us. When we fear that we don’t have enough, God sends us yet another person who doesn’t have enough and then provides for us all. When we fear we are not up to a challenge, God sends us another challenge and then provides the energy or the gifts among us to meet the challenge. We humans do not act alone. We do not give ourselves the gifts needed for God’s preferred and promised future. God gives us the gifts, in ourselves and in our neighbors, and wants us to recognize those gifts.

Our God is a community – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; or Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier. Together this three-in-one is complete and generates everything. We should take a hint from the continuous dance of the Trinity: together with our neighbors we will find the joy and the working gifts from God that we will need. Don’t forget: you are not alone. On purpose.

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for the many neighbors you give us to make us more complete and to get your mission done together. Help us to remember that we did not gift ourselves: you did. And we did not create ourselves: you did. Help us to be thankful and find joy in community.  Amen.