“A very physical help”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Sunday, March 13, 2022
Psalm 27 (Forward, p. 43) CEV p. 570
I have probably read over this psalm and prayed it, on countless occasions but have never noticed its sheer physicality. The entire picture depicted in this psalm is that God is present and helpful in a very tangible almost physical way. In other words, His help is not just something of the mind or emotions or spirit, but something much more real. Just look for a moment then at all the physical places that our psalmist mentions:
God’s house (verse 4a);
God’s temple (verse 4b);
God’s tent (verses 5a, 6);
God as a mighty rock (verse 5b).
He wants to live in God’s house every day of his life and wants to be able to pray in His temple. That means that these very real, very physical places are precious to him. They are places that he can go and find refuge and help, places where he can feel God’s presence. He likens them to a tent where he can hide and a rock on which he can stand and be safe and protected.
For me, this poses two questions. First off, do we, you and I, have this tangible, almost concrete sense of God’s presence and help, a very real place of safety and protection? And secondly, are there places—churches perhaps, or possibly elsewhere, where we have a sense of belonging and being close and being protected by God? Is there a place where we feel that we can go when we are scared and/ or vulnerable?
My sense is that our psalmist, David, developed such places simply because he had to. He was on the outs with society, on the run, and unable to find safety in any of the usual places, such that he had to turn to God and depend upon God. (My sense is that many of the people of Ukraine feel exactly this way right now: there is little else that they can do!) So, what about us? What is it that might move us to make this move, to turn to God and seek that kind of presence and intimacy, that kind of protection and safety? I pray that it won’t have be anything like what David or Ukraine suffered through. Amen.
Forward notes: “O tarry and await the Lord’s pleasure; be strong, and he shall comfort your heart; wait patiently for the Lord” (verse 14).
“There are many ways that we wait for news. I recall waiting for the results of a medical test. I was nervous and distracted. I also remember waiting to hear about the birth of my nephew. I was excited, happy, and dancing about. We wait differently, depending on the event we are anticipating. Left to our own devices, we employ a support mechanism that tends our immediate needs. Should we be concerned? Dare we be joyful? Are there guidelines to waiting?
“The psalmist tells us to tarry and linger in expectation: to wait not for an outcome but for the Lord’s pleasure and comfort. These words say to me that regardless of the result, God is with us.
“There will be pleasure in the good news, such as the birth of my nephew. There can even be comfort in receiving answers despite disappointing test results.
“We need only wait patiently and with faith.”
Moving Forward: “How can you transform your waiting into an expression of faith?”