Wednesday, September 12, 2018

“O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land.” (Psalm 63:1, New Revised Version) 

                Psalm 63 is one of the most beautiful poems in the whole of the Psalter. Its rich depths of faith and trust in God rise off the page in a crescendo of praise and confidence in God. “Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.” (63: 3-4) The Psalmist has known spiritual emptiness and emotional fatigue. It looks as if he has lain awake at night, meditating on the ways God has reached out to him in his need.  “For you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.” (63:7)

                If you are down in the dumps, feeling anxious and uneasy, feeling uncertain about the future and lying awake at night with worry and fear I couldn’t recommend a better, spiritually uplifting text than Psalm 63.

                At least the first eight verses…

                I have to be honest, verses nine to ten just don’t seem to fit the mood of the first part of the Psalm. I think somebody else may have tagged these verses onto this poem for some strange reason. Maybe, it sounded too sentimental or unrealistic. The poet’s mind, if it is the same person, is torn away from his lofty thoughts of God and now seeks harm and vengeance on his enemies. “But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth; they shall be given over to the power of the sword, they shall be prey for jackals.” (63: 9-10) Then the king (where did he come from?) is going to use his conviction in God to shut up his opponents.

                It is a confounding and disappointing ending to a wonderful Psalm.

                But perhaps our human nature is revealed in the contradictions which this poem as a whole presents. We can ride the crests of faith, assurance and renewed hope and peace but become distracted by everyday realities, problems and conflicts. We become preoccupied with the pains and aches of daily living and need to take it out on somebody else. Then before you know it, our ascending faith falls flat and we are overtaken by our darker thoughts.

                My advice – go back and read the first eight verses again. And stop! 

                Or I might also add listening to Jesus who had some very clear advice about retaliation and revenge – you know them I’m sure: “But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.” (Matthew 5:39) or “But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” (5:44).

                Our hearts can be ruled by Love or Hate.  Our Faith can soar to heights of immense trust or plummet into cold and spiteful payback.  Our moods can be enriched by beauty or smeared with vindictive and ugly anger.  We can reach out to God or we can give in to our own hurtful thoughts.

                “My flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

The choice is ours to make.

Dale