We Are Cursing Our Children

Psalm 147.13 - "God blesses your children...."

This hit me hard today.

That children become the measure of God's blessing, mercy, protection and wellbeing. How the children are doing says a whole lot about God, for sure, but even more about us, and our faithfulness to God's purposes.

Yet, it would seem that are children are cursed, rather than blessed. Not that God is doing the cursing, but rather we are, with a proud determination, it would seem, to have it our way, no matter the "collateral damage" [read: dead children].

We have violated so many of God's purposes and plans ... we have refused to heed the cries of our children, blaming them, blaming their parents, blaming everything and everyone we can, even the "act of god," for the tragedies that befall our children day upon day.

That such should happen in so many parts of the world, desperate and war-torn, only adds to our guilt - for we loudly proclaim our godliness, our great American abilities, our strength, our prowess ... we're all about greatness, or so we say.

And, yet, our children suffer ... in our cities racked with poverty, our rural areas stricken with joblessness and opioids; across the land and throughout our nation, the children of America are dying for want of nutrition, safety and by untold violence everywhere.

Not even God can undo the horrendous decisions we make to satisfy our twisted desires to own a gun ... to have power ... to be able to threaten others ... to be tough and mean ... and live as we please ... looking to the rich to help us along the way, even as the rich continue to steal every dime they can from education, healthcare and the nation's safety nets, cleverly playing upon our fears so that we'll buy even more guns and continue our violent ways.

Not even God can bless the children when we're working overtime, it would seem, to curse them.

Psalm 147

1 Praise the LORD!
How good it is to sing praises to our God;
for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.
2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted,
and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.
6 The LORD lifts up the downtrodden;
he casts the wicked to the ground.
7 Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on the lyre.
8 He covers the heavens with clouds,
prepares rain for the earth,
makes grass grow on the hills.
9 He gives to the animals their food,
and to the young ravens when they cry.
10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner;
11 but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.


Fill your heart and mind with powerful thoughts of praise and thanksgiving, for the Evil One is determined to flood your spirit with complaint and disappointment. If there is anything good and beautiful, think on such things, and then look about you with eyes cleansed by faith, to behold the wonder and the joy of life - the greening of the trees, the budding of flowers, the face of a child with an ice cream cone, the sound of a rumbling V8 (if ya' like cars) and the simple wonder of a cloud in the sky.

Holy Week, 2008