Psalm Meditation 752
Twenty third Sunday of Ordinary Time
November 16, 2014

Psalm 62
1 For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.
2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall never be shaken.
3 How long will you assail a person, will you batter your victim, all of you, as you would a leaning wall, a tottering fence?
4 Their only plan is to bring down a person of prominence. They take pleasure in falsehood; they bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse. Selah
5 For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
7 On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is in God.
8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah
9 Those of low estate are but a breath, those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath.
10 Put no confidence in extortion, and set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, do not set your heart on them.
11 Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God,
12 and steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord. For you repay to all according to their work.
(NRSV)

For many of us sitting in silence means that no sounds are coming out of our mouths and that we are not physically moving. Our minds are probably racing as we make lists of things we need or want to do, as we run through our list of joys and concerns, as we carry on our side of the conversation with God. Even reciting a centering word or phrase can drown out the God side of our conversation. While we are actually far from it, we give the outward impression that we are sitting silent in the presence of God.

There are folks who can sit in silence, who are present without a personal agenda, who are open to hear what is going on around them, whose centering phrase actually helps them to center themselves in God. These are the folks whose souls wait in silence in the presence of God. They are not letting their minds race, they are waiting to receive what God has to offer. These are the folks who listen to us in such a way that we know we are heard. They don’t interrupt us to get their word in, they may not even say anything until several beats after we have finished our side of the conversation. They have a particular gift of silence and presence.

God doesn’t force us to be something we are not. If we are impatient God does not make us wait until we have cultivated patience. God finds a way to sneak a word or phrase into our lists, slips a name or face into our joys and concerns, is patient with us in the midst of our impatience. Over time the presence of God will likely change us a bit. We will be able to open up a slightly larger space for God to work in us and through us as the years fly past us. We will find ourselves better able to open ourselves to the steadfast love of God in a wider variety of times and places. We will find ourselves seated firmly on the bedrock of God’s saving presence even as we fidget and squirm in our impatience.

November 10, 2014
LCM