I am an emeritus professor from Cornell University and was a Commissioned Lay Preacher in the Presbyterian Church (USA). For many years I have followed the Daily Lectionary as printed in the Mission Yearbook of my church. For each day of a two-year cycle, the lectionary lists four psalms and three other scriptural passages--usually one from the Old Testament and two from the New Testament. My practice is to copy down a verse or two from one of the psalms and from each of the other three passages. After I have written out all four selections, I reflect upon them, rearrange their order, and incorporate them into a meditation. Sometimes I retain much of the original wording; sometimes all that remains of a selection is an idea that was stimulated when I read the original words. All selections are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. For the Daily Lectionary, see the link below.

I Have Been Astonished--Jan. 29, 2020


I have called you, O Lord, and you have answered;
I have been in trouble, and you have given heed
to my affliction, and I have been astonished.
You save those who eagerly wait for you.

Lectionary Readings
Ps. 65; 147:1-11; 125; 91
Gen. 16:1-14
Heb. 9:15-28
John 5:19-29

Selected Verses
Ps. 91:15
When [those who love me] call to me, I will answer them;
          I will be with them in trouble,
          I will rescue them and honor them.

Gen. 16:11
And the angel of the LORD said to [Sarai],
           “Now you have conceived and shall bear a son;
                    you shall call him Ishmael,
                    for the LORD has given heed to your affliction.  …”

Heb. 9:28
…so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

John 5:20
“…The Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing; and he will show him greater works than these, so that you will be astonished.  …”  [Jesus, to those who were persecuting him]

Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

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