Let Your Light Shine Day 6

The righteous cry out, the LORD hears,

and he rescues them from all their afflictions. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted, saves those whose spirit is crushed. Psalm 34:18-19

There is that word again: Righteous. It appears so many times in the ancient scriptures. These “righteous” people are always promised to have their prayers answered. But who are the “righteous” people, and how can I join that club?

The great Anglican Bishop, N.T. Wright posts the definition of “righteousness” from the New Dictionary of Theology. The term is explored as referencing a court of law and also membership in a “covenant” community.  Here is a short conclusion of this extensive definition of righteousness:

“The central biblical discussions of righteousness thus principally concern membership in the covenant and the behaviour appropriate to that membership.  Since, however, these passages depend on a theology in which God is creator and judge of all the earth, and in which God’s people are to reflect God’s own character, it is not illegitimate to extrapolate from them to the ‘justice’ which God desires, and designs, for his world. The church is to be not only an example of God’s intended new humanity, but the means by which the eventual plan, including the establishment of world-wide justice, is to be put into effect.”

We can glean from this definition of “righteousness” (noun), that a person who is “righteous” (adjective) acts like the thing (noun) it describes. So a “righteous” person can be described as one who reflects God’s character because he/she belongs to God’s community. 

If we look at the first sentence of the Psalm, “The righteous cry out, the LORD hears, and he rescues them from all their afflictions,” we could potentially re-interpret it using the definition above. For example, “The friends of God, people who mimic God’s ways, cry out; God hears, and He rescues them from their great suffering.” This interpretation actually sheds some light on the next sentence, “the LORD is close to the brokenhearted, saves those whose spirit is crushed.” Of course God is close to these brokenhearted: they are his friends who try to act like him. We see this in our own humanity. We often copy our friends, and adopt the mannerisms of people with whom we share  close bonds. And, like this psalm, when our friends are in trouble, we try to comfort them, or cheer them up so that they feel better. 

That is what we see God doing in this Psalm.  The righteous people are his friends. They try to behave with the characteristics that God loves: justice, mercy, humility, love and light.  Jesus said in John 15:14, “You are my friend if you do what I command.” So when the friends of God cry out for help, he immediately saves them and comforts them, just as any person would do for their friend. 

This gives me tremendous hope during this crisis. If I try to embody the goodness of God  (justice, mercy, humility, love and light) to myself and those around me, I know my prayers will be heard, and I will be lifted up in some way from this suffering.  Through prayer and meditation I can receive comfort from God, just as we are all comforting our friends now. So today, I will pray:

“Holy Spirit, fill me with your justice, mercy, humility, love, and light. Hear my cries for relief from suffering, and restoration to good health and peace. Be close to everyone in the world who is being crushed by disease. Holy God, fill me with love for you, love for myself, and love all the people around me; and return us to health, joy, and peace. Amen.”