O God, when you led your people out from Egypt,
    when you marched through the dry wasteland, Interlude
⁸ the earth trembled, and the heavens poured down rain
    before you, the God of Sinai,
    before God, the God of Israel.
⁹ You sent abundant rain, O God,
    to refresh the weary land.
¹⁰ There your people finally settled,
    and with a bountiful harvest, O God,
    you provided for your needy people. Psalms 68:7-10

Talk to me about things that make “a land” weary.

O God, when you led your people out from Egypt,
    when you marched through the dry wasteland, Interlude
⁸ the earth trembled, and the heavens poured down rain
    before you, the God of Sinai,
    before God, the God of Israel.
⁹ You sent abundant rain, O God,
    to refresh the weary land.
¹⁰ There your people finally settled,
    and with a bountiful harvest, O God,
    you provided for your needy people. Psalms 68:7-10

Talk to me about the weariness of the land. What does a weary land look like?

O God, when you led your people out from Egypt,
    when you marched through the dry wasteland, Interlude
⁸ the earth trembled, and the heavens poured down rain
    before you, the God of Sinai,
    before God, the God of Israel.
⁹ You sent abundant rain, O God,
    to refresh the weary land.
¹⁰ There your people finally settled,
    and with a bountiful harvest, O God,
    you provided for your needy people. Psalms 68:7-10

Talk to me about an abundance of rain.

O God, when you led your people out from Egypt,
    when you marched through the dry wasteland, Interlude
⁸ the earth trembled, and the heavens poured down rain
    before you, the God of Sinai,
    before God, the God of Israel.
⁹ You sent abundant rain, O God,
    to refresh the weary land.
¹⁰ There your people finally settled,
    and with a bountiful harvest, O God,
    you provided for your needy people. Psalms 68:7-10

It struck me as I was meditating this morning through this Psalm about the God of Sinai and the God of Israel that I was forgetting the most basic meditation of all.

When I say the word “God” what does that mean to you?

O God, when you led your people out from Egypt,
    when you marched through the dry wasteland, Interlude
⁸ the earth trembled, and the heavens poured down rain
    before you, the God of Sinai,
    before God, the God of Israel.
⁹ You sent abundant rain, O God,
    to refresh the weary land.
¹⁰ There your people finally settled,
    and with a bountiful harvest, O God,
    you provided for your needy people. Psalms 68:7-10

What does the title “God Of Israel” say to you?

O God, when you led your people out from Egypt,
    when you marched through the dry wasteland, Interlude
⁸ the earth trembled, and the heavens poured down rain
    before you, the God of Sinai,
    before God, the God of Israel.
⁹ You sent abundant rain, O God,
    to refresh the weary land.
¹⁰ There your people finally settled,
    and with a bountiful harvest, O God,
    you provided for your needy people. Psalms 68:7-10

What does the reference “God of Sinai” say to you?

O God, when you led your people out from Egypt,
    when you marched through the dry wasteland, Interlude
⁸ the earth trembled, and the heavens poured down rain
    before you, the God of Sinai,
    before God, the God of Israel.
⁹ You sent abundant rain, O God,
    to refresh the weary land.
¹⁰ There your people finally settled,
    and with a bountiful harvest, O God,
    you provided for your needy people. Psalms 68:7-10

What does it mean to you that the “Heavens poured down rain before you, the God of Sinai”?

O God, when you led your people out from Egypt,
    when you marched through the dry wasteland, Interlude
⁸ the earth trembled, and the heavens poured down rain
    before you, the God of Sinai,
    before God, the God of Israel.
⁹ You sent abundant rain, O God,
    to refresh the weary land.
¹⁰ There your people finally settled,
    and with a bountiful harvest, O God,
    you provided for your needy people. Psalms 68:7-10

What picture in your mind does the earth trembling evoke?

O God, when you led your people out from Egypt,
    when you marched through the dry wasteland, Interlude
⁸ the earth trembled, and the heavens poured down rain
    before you, the God of Sinai,
    before God, the God of Israel.
⁹ You sent abundant rain, O God,
    to refresh the weary land.
¹⁰ There your people finally settled,
    and with a bountiful harvest, O God,
    you provided for your needy people. Psalms 68:7-10

Some wastelands are deceiving in their surface appearance. Have you ever been in one of those? What did it look like?

O God, when you led your people out from Egypt,
    when you marched through the dry wasteland, Interlude
⁸ the earth trembled, and the heavens poured down rain
    before you, the God of Sinai,
    before God, the God of Israel.
⁹ You sent abundant rain, O God,
    to refresh the weary land.
¹⁰ There your people finally settled,
    and with a bountiful harvest, O God,
    you provided for your needy people. Psalms 68:7-10

Most journeys out involve going through a desert or wasteland. What emotions does heading into the wasteland evoke?