Reader’s Guide: “The Word for Today” Wednesday, May 29, 2013 Read – Psalm 9 One might wonder where the first followers of Jesus found the courage to witness to Jesus in the face of powerful opposition. Of course the first answer to that question is that it was God’s Holy Spirit that empowered them. That is true. However, I would suspect that their experience of the Spirit’s presence was a lot like ours – there is always an ambiguity to it. To know the Spirit’s presence we need to step out in faith. We can’t know for sure if the Spirit will be there until we take the risk of trusting that will be the case. There is a way in which followers of Jesus can nurture their trust in the Spirit. Reading and contemplating the Bible is a good way to strengthen our faith and to experience the Spirit in a new and powerful way. I suspect that the first followers of Jesus poured over the OT and in the process the Spirit became more accessible to them. The Psalms were a likely place where many of them spent their time. The Psalms are filled with the ambiguity and the reality of human emotion and experience. The Psalms are the words of human beings long before they can become the word of God. In the next few days we are invited to meditate upon a few Psalms. I don’t think any of them were quoted in the NT. That’s part of why I chose them. I invite you to ponder these Psalms and let them speak to you. We begin with Psalm 9. I am especially drawn to verse 7. The book of Acts tells the story of the Holy Spirit’s work among the first followers of Jesus – this Psalm reminds us that God is in control. Even when it may appear otherwise we can trust in God’s presence.