Psalm 42
As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?
My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me continually, “Where is your God?”
These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I went with the throng, and led them in procession to the house of God, with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.
My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
Deep calls to deep at the thunder of your cataracts; all your waves and your billows have gone over me.
By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.
I say to God, my rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I walk about mournfully because the enemy oppresses me?”
As with a deadly wound in my body, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me continually, “Where is your God?”
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.
Psalm 43
Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people; from those who are deceitful and unjust deliver me!
For you are the God in whom I take refuge; why have you cast me off? Why must I walk about mournfully because of the oppression of the enemy?
O send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling.
Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God.
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.
Reflection
A couple of Psalms possibly written as one. Both of these Psalms are about separation from God and the pain and agony we feel when we are apart. We long for this relationship with God when we have known the love God has for us. Yet for some reason we keep trying to live on our own and through our own will and way.
It's OK to be independent and live a life responsibly by my way of thinking. But independence doesn't mean that we can do it all on our own. We need relationships. We need each other and most of all we need, rather we must have God. Without God, life is short. Life would be just this brief moment of living that we can handle. But, we can't handle death. We can't solve this on our own. We must have God to save us and we must have faith and hope in God to save us from ourselves and our sin.
So, we live in relationship with God. When we are apart from God we begin to die, like the deer panting with thirst in the wilderness. We long to be with God and one with God. We crave the living God and that relationship and love we have for God and the love God has for us.
We recall those times that we are in sanctuary with God. We remember the joy of being in God's presence. We remember the services of joy and the celebration of Holy Communion with God and with God's People. We long, we lust, we desire this relationship with God.
So when we are away from God we cry. We cry not only for ourselves and our separation, but we cry out because of our sin. We cry out for God to rescue us and save us from the mess we have created and the mess we live in. We cry out in desperation.
Yes, there are times that we are led away. We are taken like the Israelites and the Jews to a foreign land. There are times of exile and separation from God. Times brought on by our own bullheaded determination to make it without God. Times when we create our own gods and worship them. These are gods of wealth and power and greed and desires that separate us from God. Times that we created, not times that God has caused. In the depths of this separation, even upon the mountain, we cast our eyes upon that relationship we "used" to have with God and long for a return home. We long for God to be with us and see how it was from our own snowy Mount Hermon.
So we confess. We confess our failures and our sin to the only One who could rescue us. We confess with tears and sighs and we are forgiven. We are always forgiven. God gave Jesus to die for us and we are forgiven in the deep love of our Savior. Faith wells up within us and hope stands strong. Our God is faithful and powerful and leads us to himself. God sheds the warmth of his Light upon our soul. God leads us with his Light to his arms of comfort and joy. God's Truth wins out over our separation in sin. God saves us from ourselves!
God continues our relationship, even while we are in the midst of our sin. God is there to save us and guide us and return us to that wonderful Sanctuary of love and of life and of joy in the Spirit. It's no wonder we pant for God when we are away. God's draw to relationship is like no other.
Prayer
Lord, when I'm led away by myself or by anything or anyone else; I long for you. I long for you to always be with me. May I never turn my back on you and leave. Your love is just too strong and too much to stay away from for any length of time. Guide me this day to your sanctuary. As I run to you, open your arms to me and to those who are with me running to you... today... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen
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