Finding a Courageous Answer

Scripture: Psalm 119:42 – “Then I shall have an answer for those who taunt me, for I trust in your word.” (NRSVUE)

We have this romanticized image of the past where everyone was united by their faith in the one God. We contrast this with the anger and division we see before us today, a time when it seems no one speaks the same language any more. But if you read the Bible, you will notice that this was never the case. There were always times when people were ridiculed or persecuted for their faith and many times that even those within the community acted with cruelty towards one another.

Instead of looking to some glorious past for answers, let’s look at what people of faith have actually said. Specifically, let’s look at the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119. This massive poem is 176 verses long and has a unique structure. You can break it up into twenty-two mini-psalms of eight verses each, one for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Indeed, it is an acrostic poem, since each one begins with a different letter.

The overall topic of Psalm 119 is an appreciation of the Law and Commandments of God, and the emphasis on the alphabet may point to a time when people were moving away from both God’s commandments and even the Hebrew language itself. Scholars believed it was written at a time when Aramaic began to displace Hebrew as the vernacular language of the people. The Psalmist is doubling down on the importance of faith and how God’s Law can help people prosper in a time of fracturing uncertainty.

Clearly, a call for a return to Biblical values often fell on deaf ears; you don’t write a 176-verse psalm if there isn’t a problem. But the Law of God gives the Psalmist strength. With God’s Law on his lips and God’s love in his heart, he has an answer for those who taunt him for his faith.

Today, Bible values of justice and mercy are put aside for considerations of wealth and ideological purity. And there is a lot of taunting going on. I don’t know if you have experienced people pushing back on you for your beliefs or just giving a mild shrug that you even have any. Remembering your values, what brought you love God in the first place, can give you the inner certainty to avoid self-doubt and the courage to speak to others.

Today, think about who is taunting you. Is it some “they” out there on the internet? A family member or neighbor? A sense of unease at your core? Now think of the commandments of God. How do they challenge you and how do they comfort you? How do you hold both those realities in tension to drive you to acts of kindness and compassion for yourself and others? Pray about which of God’s commandments or teachings gives you the most courage. Then live out that commandment no matter what anyone else says.

Prayer: God, give me the grace to know your truth, act your truth, and share your truth with a world in need. Amen.