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Psalm 92
1 It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
3 to the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.
4 For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
10 But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox;
you have poured over me[a] fresh oil.
11 My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;
my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.
12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree,
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 They are planted in the house of the Lord;
they flourish in the courts of our God.
14 In old age they still produce fruit;
they are always green and full of sap,
15 showing that the Lord is upright;
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
Psalm 92 is titled as a psalm of vindication. Vindication to me is different that deliverance. Deliverance is escape from a dilemma but vindication gives the sense of being falsely accused but then the truth coming out that you were right. You are justified in your position. Vindication carries the idea that the vindicator believed in you and fought for you and was able to turn a very ugly and humiliating experience into an affirmation of your personhood. Today is the “K” day and so I am going to pick the word “kindness”. Vindication somehow feels like a kindness that is unexpected like a giant hug.
–Perhaps it is like an unexpected kiss from your friend after a fight when you expect to get yelled at. They admit you were right.
—Perhaps it is like the relief of being proved innocent when others think you are guilty or at least doubt you.
–Perhaps it is like a friend staying neutral until all the facts are on the table.
Vindication is like a wave of unexpected kindness blessing a tense situation. God is kind in dealing with our human sinfulness. For many of us, the thought of standing before The God is very scary but Thanksgiving is reminding ourselves that God is kind, our good shepherd who cares for us. May you remember kind moments as you think today about Veterans who have blessed your life.
On the Way to Wonder 