on Tuesday, August 5, 2025 by TaeHun Yoon

[PREPARATIO – Preparation in Silence]

I sat quietly in my chair, reflecting on the time from yesterday to this morning. I gently asked myself: What thoughts have come to me? What feelings linger in my heart?

I noticed:

1. Though I was left behind, boredom never found me. I spent time caring for our two dogs, a task WanHee used to do. I now deeply appreciate her quiet labor of love.
2. I remembered struggling to recall place names while giving her directions to Suwanee, Georgia—names like Chattanooga, Buford, and Duluth. Was it due to a lack of sleep? Or a sign of aging—perhaps even early Alzheimer’s? I’m not sure. But I accept it as part of the aging process.
3. I thank God that time is moving forward. In the past, when no one else was home, I would lose focus and feel aimless after retirement. But not this time. I’ve been writing all day, trying to preserve the memories of our life—before they vanish from both our minds and our papers. Since returning from vacation, I haven’t gone back to my beloved backyard. Still, I thank the Lord who shelters me under His wings and sustains me with good health.

With a grateful heart, I prayed Psalm 19:14:

“May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

Then I shout to welcome His presence:

“O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!” (Psalm 95:1)

And I chanted from my soul:

“When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.”

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[LECTIO – Reading the Word]

I took three deep breaths and centered myself. Then I read Psalm 94:1–23, first quietly, then aloud, and finally in multiple translations.

These words struck me deeply:

“O Lord, you God of vengeance—show yourself!” (v.1)

“Repay the arrogant, the wicked, the evildoers, the abusers, the killers.”

“They kill widows and immigrants; they murder orphans.” (v.6)

“The ignorant and the foolish think God does not hear or see.”

“If the Lord had not been my help, I would soon have dwelt in the land of silence.” (v.17)

“The wicked band together against the righteous.” (v.21)

“But the Lord is my fortress; my God is the rock of my refuge.” (v.22)

“He will repay them for their wickedness and destroy them completely for their evil.” (v.23)

The evil they planned comes back on them—boomeranged by God’s justice.

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[MEDITATIO – Meditating on the Word]

My heart was stirred with disturbance and grief.

The Hebrew words for “the proud” (ge’im) and “to rise up” (ga’ah) describe those who lift themselves arrogantly against God. Their sin isn’t just vanity—it’s a hardened heart that denies God’s authority and distorts all relationships.

They refuse to acknowledge God, and so they continue doing evil, unchecked.

The “evil judge” (kisse hareshaim) is a figure who opens his mouth wide to devour—wearing the mask of justice, but abusing power to oppress the vulnerable. The psalmist becomes the voice of lament, pleading for God’s justice in an age of cruelty and persecution. His hope lies in the righteous Judge, who will not let evil prevail forever.

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[ORATIO – Praying the Word]

I found myself shaken by the violence and injustice depicted in the Psalm.

Usually, I respond to such realities with sadness and quiet sorrow—but now, I felt a kind of guilt for my silence in a world filled with judgment and falsehood. Could I take the role of a prosecutor, as the psalmist does, standing in God’s courtroom?

Is this merely an individual cry—or is it the voice of a community suffering under corruption?

Like Job at the gate, I felt condemned without reason—accused unjustly by those closest to him.

Anger, sorrow, disappointment washed over me again—bringing back the memory of the past six months of depression, fueled by the political turmoil in Korea after the military coup on December 3, 2024, until the eventual election of a new president.

Yes, I deeply identify with the psalmist’s lament in Psalm 94.

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[CONTEMPLATIO – Resting in the Word]

Words left me. Only deep feeling remained.

I knew I needed rest. I had come through the long winter of depression—recovering just before our summer vacation in July. I’m okay now, but I still carry a heavy burden in my heart—for this nation, for the world, for the corrupted leadership and broken politics.

In perfect stillness, I saw a light shining over Jerusalem, even as enemies surrounded the city. That light grew into a flame, consuming the darkness outside the city wall.

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[INCARNATIO – Living the Word]

That image released the weight in my soul.

I and the church shall no longer be victims. This brutal world will come to an end, giving way to green pastures.

The wolf will lie down with the child.
Peace will come like clouds rolling in from every corner.
No more dark clouds, no more fear, no more frozen hearts.

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[ORATORIO – Singing the Word]

I rise in joyful dance—with all people, with all nations—hearts humble, arms open, spirits full of care.

This week, I ask: Is there someone I can care for?

I bought a poetry book by a friend and made a small donation to World Central Kitchen—because, truly, “The world cannot stand by while Gaza stands on the brink of famine.”

That is what this silver-haired pilgrim can do this week.

“The Lord is forever my Rock and my Fortress.”

I let the melody in my heart flow:

“Nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!
Even though it be a cross that raiseth me,
Still all my song shall be,
Nearer, my God, to thee,
Nearer to thee.”

I slowly opened my eyes and sat still for a moment longer—before heading out for a walk in the park with my little friends.