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The Forward Day by Day Meditation for January 23, 2023
We post a Forward Day by Day Meditation for every day of the year - and we invite you to consider them and talk about them here. If you'd like to comment, you can log in to Disqus with your Facebook, Twitter, or Google account; just click "Login," or the appropriate logo below. Or, you can sign up for a Disqus account; just use the entry form below, or click the "D" logo to start the process. You can find the past week's Meditations in the box at right (or below, for mobile users), or search for previous entries on the Archives page. You can also listen to the Forward Day by Day podcast anywhere you find podcasts!
MONDAY, January 23 PHILLIPS BROOKS, Bishop, 1893
Psalm 44:24 Why have you hidden your face and forgotten our affliction and oppression?
When I teach about the Bible, I like to say that every human emotion can be found in the Bible. More than that, every human emotion can be found in the psalms. I love that these texts—the songbook of King David—express human joy, adoration, anger, love, and deep sorrow. The early monastics used to recite all 150 psalms every single day through the Divine Office; later, this was spread out over the course of a week.
My favorite psalms are deeply sad. At the stripping of the altar every Maundy Thursday, we recite together Psalm 22, which begins with the words, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus himself cries out these words upon the cross. Today’s psalm likewise captures someone who feels abandoned and forgotten by God. The last verse reminds God of the promise to be steadfast in love. What comfort we can find in Christ himself who knows the feeling of God-forsakeness in the midst of suffering.
MOVING FORWARD: What’s your favorite psalm? Share it with us at #ForwardDaybyDay.
PRAY for the Diocese of Pankshin (Nigeria)
Psalm 41, Psalm 52 * Psalm 44 | Isa. 48:1-11 | Gal. 1:1-17 | Mark 5:21-43
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