Psalm Meditation 758
First Sunday After Christmas
December 28, 2014

Psalm 63
1 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 where there is no water.
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.
3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.
5 My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
6 when I think of you on my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
7 for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
9 But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth;
10 they shall be given over to the power of the sword, they shall be prey for jackals.
11 But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped.
(NRSV)

Every now and then we feel lost and separated from God. In those times we may find ourselves running around desperately searching for some track or trail that will lead us back into the presence of God. It almost seems that the more desperately we search the less likely we are to find any evidence that God is anywhere near us. We forget the advice we give to children, ‘as soon as you realize you are lost, stop so that we can come to you. You will be much easier to find if you stay in one place.’

Once we exit panic mode we can rest quietly, look around and notice that God continues to be present with us. It may be a small and inconspicuous presence but present none the less. Wherever we are when we rediscover that God is with us is likely to become a sacred space, a sanctuary for us. The sense of relief that we are not really, and never have been, alone makes the space where we find ourselves a holy space and life is good. It may be a physical place that becomes holy and it may be an internal space that renews our sense of holiness.

The fears and doubts that have stood as obstacles for us can be brushed aside and left to shrivel and die. The next time doubts and fears rise against us we can resist a bit more readily as we relax and rest into the assurance that while we may be lost, we are not abandoned. The presence of God surrounds us, shadows and shields us even in the times we are least sure of that God is with us. Our seeking and thirsting becomes less agitated and more focused on waiting than on scurrying about as if we can find God by the content of our busy-ness.

December 22, 2014
LCM