Daily Devotional • October 25
Psalm 32
1 Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
2 Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 While I kept silent, my body wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not hide my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah
6 Therefore let all who are faithful
offer prayer to you;
at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters
shall not reach them.
7 You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. Selah
8 I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
9 Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle,
else it will not stay near you.
10 Many are the torments of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord.
11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
Meditation
“You are my hiding-place; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance.”
This verse from the morning’s psalms weave together a vivid image in my head: of a person, small and wiry, climbing herself into a big old book, a Bible, “hiding” herself in the Word of God. And then the last part pops in my mind as a person surrounded by reeds, in the shallows of a pond, and the reeds are shouting encouragement, certain that the person will be delivered from the distress she suffers. My mind is also filled with the music of Zachary Wadsworth, who has composed a setting of this psalm; this particular verse is especially intense, and in my case, memorable (take a listen here).
If you’re so inclined, take a moment to let God inspire your own imagination in what sorts of visuals might color this psalm for you, what message of hope might God be bringing to your life today, in word, or deed, or song?
The Rev. Emily R. Hylden lives with her husband, the Rev. Jordan Hylden, and three sons in Houston, Texas, serves as Upper School Chaplain at St. Francis Episcopal School, and is host of the podcast Emily Rose Meditations.
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Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:
Saint John’s Episcopal Church, Olney, Maryland
The Diocese of North Central Philippines – The Episcopal Church in the Philippines
The Rev. Emily R. Hylden lives with her husband, the Rev. Jordan Hylden, and three sons in Houston, Texas, serves as Upper School Chaplain at St. Francis Episcopal School, and is host of the podcast Emily Rose Meditations.
