Lord, remember David and all the hardships he endured; how he swore an oath to the Lord, and vowed a vow to the Mighty one of Jacob: “I will not come under the roof of my house, nor climb up into my bed; I will not allow my eyes to sleep, nor let my eyelids slumber until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.” Psalm 132:1-5
Our world is built on people who have a vision and whose passion is to bring it about. David had a vision for a “place” for the God of Israel to dwell, the current Jerusalem. Although he was never able to build the temple himself, his son Solomon was able to accomplish that task.
Time and again I have come to appreciate the people who had a vision for a trail to wind through the Appalachian Mountains all the way up the eastern coast. Benton MacKaye had the vision in the 1920’s. Judge Arthur Perkins and Myron Avery, a lawyer, formed the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club and with others started blazing a path. In 1937 a trail was completed from Maine to Georgia. Originally the purpose was not to have a mass of through-hikers complete the whole trail every year. The vision was that people from all over the east coast would have the opportunity to walk somewhere on the trail and spend a day or more appreciating the beauty of the wilderness. That’s how I got started, and now I’m a member of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy—because of one man’s vision, a group who accomplished the tasks, and hundreds who continue to maintain and improve it.
At our Synod Assembly last week I heard from many people who have a particular vision for sharing the gospel and Christ’s compassion to a neighborhood in need. One or more people have the vision, others help bring it about and the world changes for the better.
Do you know a person who has a vision and whose passion is to bring it about? They inspire us, don’t they? They encourage us to work for more than just the status quo. Of course, in a profound and deeply spiritual way, Jesus was such a person and continually invites us to use our gifts and join in sharing the good news of his love, forgiveness and life for the world. I play such a small part in the global, centuries-old, enduring passion of our Lord to proclaim the love of God. Christ’s large vision sparks a lot of smaller ones. So how are we participating in the vision of Christ for the world?
Suggestions:
1. Read the verses and reflect on their meaning for you. What do you notice? What do you wonder?
2. Or read Psalm 132 and see how these verses fit into the whole.
3. Or comment with a photo of your own that is a window of this psalm’s meaning for you.
The next post will be on Psalm 133.
Starting January 1, 2016, for 150 days I am posting a daily psalm verse with a photo that is a visual meditation on the text for me. Each day a verse from the next psalm is chosen until all 150 psalms have been featured. To participate you may subscribe to my blog at https://elainedent.net or “friend” me on Facebook and watch for the daily links to blog posts. Disclaimer: I am not a photographer and most of the photos are from a cell phone or small camera while hiking the Appalachian Trail or the C&O Canal/Great Allegheny Passage Trail.
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