Weaver woman

One of the Psalms for today's daily lectionary is Psalm 57 - some of the verses from this Psalm caught my attention the way two phrases the pastor used yesterday in the pastoral prayer.

He prayed that God would "weave into our tangled thoughts" and "pour the ointment of hope". What beautiful phrases. I pictured the Guatemalan woman I met in Honduras who wove colorful bags, throws, rugs. She had made a beautiful green stole for Rev. Janet, the local pastor. When she realized that we were working on Janet's home, she showed us a red stole. James looked at me, and insisted on buying it for me, along with the other things we'd already picked out.

That woman couldn't speak English, we couldn't speak Spanish, but the shared smiles and her gift of weaving and beauty has stayed with me ever since. James' generosity that day, and the smile on his face showed his selflesness.

God can be a weaver woman, taking tragedy and difficulty, the bits and scraps and leftover pieces, carefully planning and working, creating beauty and usefulness.

Psalm 57, verse one: Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.

The first key is that we should pay attention to our emotions and mental state - where are we? Are we trying to manage it all on our own? Or are we hiding under the mothering wings of God? What a safe place to land, near the warmth and comfort of a mother hen.

Verse two: I cry out to God most high, God who fulfills {his} purpose for me.

This is the ointment of hope - the second key. God does have a purpose for us. When we call to God, it is the God who has purpose for us and provides safety for us.

Verse four: I lie down among lions, that greedily devour human prey; their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongues sharp swords.

Verse six: They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my path, but they have fallen into it themselves.

The third key - life is going to be tough. There will be times when it feels as if when you walk into work or back into your home that you've walked into a room full of hungry lions. There will be times when no matter how careful you are, you keep stumbling into holes along the way.

Courage is needed - do we have the courage to reach out to God and trust that God will take care of us? In this day and age, we are taught to rely on ourselves alone. It's hard to trust another person, much less a being that you can't see.

Courage to reach out to the gentle weaver woman, taking the shreds of your life and creating your purpose, a useful and beautiful thing.

Courage to reach out to the gentle mother hen, asking for safety rather than toughing out the storms on your own.

God will weave peace into our tangled thoughts, sorting them out, giving peace and wisdom for chaos.