Wednesday, November 5

Psalm 70:5
But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay!
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"Ego sum pauper" was a haunting little song with Latin lyrics that I sang in rounds by a campfire with Girl Scout friends.  The lyrics echo the beginning of this psalm verse: "I am poor. I have nothing. I will give my heart."  My own middle-class guilt kept me from leaning into the song with sincerity. Later, I came to understand a poverty of spirit that infects us all, draining us of our will and leaving us empty. It is at those moments I understand both the song and the psalmist.  The wealth of the life that God offers to us rises out of the recognition of our deepest need.  As God saves and delivers us we also become a worthy gift for a needy world. 
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Take my heart, Lord.  Amen.