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One Thing Spoken, Two Things Heard
Psalm 62 ends with the provocative statement:“One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard; power belongs to you, God, and with you is unfailing love.”
As Christians, we would say that the one thing God has spoken, God’s word, is Jesus Christ. And Christ’s life, death and resurrection reveal two things: that the ultimate power of God and the ultimate love of God are inextricably linked. It’s a truth to meditate upon, to center one’s self in, to learn by heart. Next time you feel despairing about the policies arising from our current administration stop and say “one thing you have spoken, two things I have heard, that power belongs to you, O God, and unfailing love.” Next time you are frightened with bad news or concerned about a situation, pause and say “one thing, God has spoken, two things I have heard; power belongs to you, God, and with the Lord is unfailing love.” And say it again, slowly. Next time you are beset with stress or anger is roiling within you for whatever reason, breath deeply and repeat: “One thing You have spoken, two things I have heard; that power belongs to you, God, and with You is unfailing love.”
There’s great potency in the words of scripture but often they require more than an effort to simply understand them. They require our ruminating and chewing on them. Jews tend to call a line of scripture a “portion” instead of a “passage”. Passage suggests a moving through towards some other end while portion suggests a mulling over or even a savoring for the sake of what’s being received. Try it this summer as you are at work or on the beach or in a long line at the airport or walking through the Fells or looking up from your phone or muting the commercials and just for a moment savor:
“One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard; power belongs to you, God, and with you is unfailing love.”
Grace and Peace in this Summer Season,
—Rev. Will Burhans
