“The eyes
of all
wait upon you,
O Lord,
and you give them
their food
in due season.” Psalm 145:15
The eyes of all wait upon you, O Lord. On the trail eyes wait for food. On this nation’s city streets, on this day and yesterday and how many thousands of days before, eyes watch killings. Eyes watch violence splattered over social media to document truth. A network of eyes watch in homes and stores and buses, in every town, on every farm. Eyes wait for justice. Eyes wait for equality and justice—no matter what skin color, what neighborhood. Eyes wait for an end to this prejudice and unwarranted violence. Eyes wait for you, O Lord. You have eyes. You watch.
And you wait. You wait for us to use the voices, the minds, the wills, the hearts you have already given us to do the right thing. Your eyes, O Lord, wait upon us this time. Lord, have mercy and help us.
My only suggestion tonight: Pray first and then use whatever abilities God has given you in whatever place God has put you to listen/learn/educate about racial inequality, to work for justice, to speak out for the respect for all people, to refrain from violence, to value all life and to make a difference in this nation and the world.
(Written after the deaths by police shootings of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge and Philando Castille in St. Paul MN. Within an hour of this writing, 11 officers have been shot by snipers, five fatally, during Dallas protests. Lord, have mercy. )
Starting January 1, 2016, for 150 days I am posting an (almost) 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.
Chuck Miller says
Thanks for this, Elaine. I have become convinced after a day of considering, listening, learning and praying that for me to merely silently shake my head and return to routine will only serve to perpetuate injustice. I must seek the means and venue to give voice to justice.