Psalm Photos - 132 - Flowing
Psalm 132
O Lord, remember in David’s favor all the hardships he endured;
how he swore to the Lord and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
“I will not enter my house or get into my bed;
I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids,
until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
We heard of it in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar.
“Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool.”
Rise up, O Lord, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might.
Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let your faithful shout for joy.
For your servant David’s sake do not turn away the face of your anointed one.
The Lord swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back: “One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne.
If your sons keep my covenant and my decrees that I shall teach them, their sons also, forevermore, shall sit on your throne.”
For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his habitation:
“This is my resting place forever; here I will reside, for I have desired it.
I will abundantly bless its provisions; I will satisfy its poor with bread.
Its priests I will clothe with salvation, and its faithful will shout for joy.
There I will cause a horn to sprout up for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed one.
His enemies I will clothe with disgrace, but on him, his crown will gleam.”
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As this Psalm comes to a close, I get the sense of a deep nurturing presence as it speaks of the Lord choosing Zion for his habitation. A place where needs are met and life is renewed. To me, whenever I think about renewal, I think of hikes along quiet streams. Being out in nature is simply one of the most nurturing things for my spirit. I can recognize in my spirit when I have not had those times - my spirit doesn’t feel full, it feels parched, and there is a palpable sense of filling that happens when I get out for a hike - be it with my family or just out by myself. There’s a wonderful passage from Ezekiel 47. As it describes water flowing out of the temple of God, we come to verses 9-12 which say:
Wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish, once these waters reach there. It will become fresh; and everything will live where the river goes. People will stand fishing beside the sea from En-gedi to En-eglaim; it will be a place for the spreading of nets; its fish will be of a great many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea. But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt. On the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.
May you experience the flowing refreshment of God this day.