Psalm 129:1–8 (ESV)
“Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth”— let Israel now say—
“Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me.
The plowers plowed upon my back; they made long their furrows.”
The LORD is righteous; he has cut the cords of the wicked.
May all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned backward!
Let them be like the grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up,
with which the reaper does not fill his hand nor the binder of sheaves his arms,
nor do those who pass by say, “The blessing of the LORD be upon you! We bless you in the name of the LORD!”
Devotional Reflection
This Psalm should be in the mouth of all the saints of God when persecutions come for the sake of the gospel. "Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth..." St. Augustine notes that this has always been the righteous complaint of the Church since the Fall. Cain murdered the righteous Abel. Noah had to endure the violence of his age. Abraham was a stranger in a strange land. David was hunted by Saul. The prophets of God were despised for their preaching. And the Son of God was betrayed and crucified.
Yet, what does the Psalmist conclude about his persecutors? "They have not prevailed against me!" They are like grass that sprouts up on a rooftop and is quickly withered by the heat of the sun. St. Paul reminds us that "this light and momentary affliction" which we endure for the sake of the gospel "is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." The tears, blood, and cries of the faithful are never forgotten by the Lord. Jesus wept. He shed his precious blood. He cried out in sorrow. In his suffering, he redeemed yours. You are not grass which withers on a rooftop, you are a tree that he has planted by rivers of waters which will bring forth fruit in its season. So endure in hope.
Image Description (AI Prompt)
A close-up view of a withered, yellowed grass patch on an old, rustic tiled rooftop. Above this scene, the sun blazes in a clear blue sky, casting fierce, sharp shadows across the weathered and uneven tiles. The image captures the sun's merciless heat beating down on the fragile grass and the dry, cracked earth around it. The perspective highlights the stark contrast between the struggling life of the grass and the ancient charm of the rooftop tiles, under the intense glare of the midday sun.