Read
(A song for worship.)
The Lord Rewards
1The Lord will bless you
if you respect him
and obey his laws.
2Your fields will produce,
and you will be happy—
all will go well.
3Your wife will be as fruitful
as a grapevine,
and just as an olive tree
is rich with olives,
your home will be rich
with healthy children.
4This is how the Lord will bless
everyone who respects him.
5I pray that the Lord
will bless you from Zion
and let Jerusalem prosper
as long as you live.
6May you live long enough
to see your grandchildren.
Let's pray for peace in Israel!
Reflect
This psalm is a picture of what shalom looks like in practice.
We can only imagine what it would be like if everything in our lives were perfect. Perfect harvests. Plenty of food. Fruit and vegetables in abundance and at an affordable price. All of our hopes and plans fulfilled. Your spouse would be everything and more than you ever wished for. You would have just the number of children you want. They would be healthy and win prizes at school and be a delight to have around at home. They would grow up to have good jobs and marry well and you would enjoy your grandchildren. The land would be at peace, and everything in the news would bring joy to your heart.
A pipe dream? Of course. That is the point. This will never happen in this life. You may be out of work. It’s hard to make ends meet. Family life is full of problems. You may not even have a family. And every day the news from around the world breaks your heart.
But this is a picture of the kind of life that God plans for those that respect him and obey him. In the Old Testament it is described in material ways. And in some ways we see little shafts of it today as God’s kingdom breaks into our present world. But one day, when Jesus returns, his kingdom will come in full.
Meanwhile, we live in a broken world. But even here, God is with us. I listened recently to the testimony of a Christian homosexual who is able to find joy in a celibate lifestyle because, as a Christian, he longs for the time when the whole creation will be set free to share in the glory of God’s kingdom (Romans 8:18-22). Even the anticipation of this in the future gives us joy in the present.
Respond
Heavenly Father, help me to take the long view and see this picture of a perfect world as what you desire for all who love and obey you. And meanwhile, show me ways to make this a reality in my present circumstances and give others a glimpse of your kingdom. Amen.
Annabel Robinson
Annabel was born in Kew, near London, England. She committed her life to Jesus Christ at a Scripture Union camp when she was 16, and immediately found joy and peace. At Oxford she was active in the Oxford Inter-Collegiate Christian Union, where she met her husband, Reid. They emigrated to Canada in 1965, where she taught Classics at the University of Regina until 2007. She has two children, Heather in Oslo and Alasdair in Calgary.