“A soul in turmoil”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Saturday, December 16, 2023
Psalm 43 (Forward, p. 48) CEV p. 580
In this anonymous psalm, we find an individual who is sorely distressed. Not only has he been mistreated by his enemies, but he has been subject to their lies and attacks. Indeed, worse still, he feels that even God has rejected him, turned him awake. He is truly a soul in turmoil.
But, in the midst of all this, he has a request, namely, to be brought back into God’s nearer presence on the holy mountain. Now, whether this actually happened to the psalmist in some literal sense, as in being physically returned from exile to once again worship in Jerusalem, or whether it is to be seen in a figurative sense, it does not matter. His yearning is to be restored to God.
Even so, this hope, this promise, does not totally allay the turmoil of his soul. He is still discouraged and restless, and so once again he pleads, in trust and dependence, for God’s intervention and help. And so, it can be for us: we may not yet know or have experienced God’s intervention, God’s help, God’s presence in the midst of our troubles, but we do know that it is coming. And surely that will quieten our souls when in turmoil.
Forward notes: “Send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me, and bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling” (verse 3).
“Mountain climbers are driven to reach the pinnacle. But I believe that desire is driven by more than athleticism. For many, even those who do not consider themselves religious, climbing to the top is a way to experience rarefied air—and sometimes, enlightenment.
“There is something about a mountain. Far away from civilization, too high to sustain plant life, many mountain environments could not support humans more than an hour or two. Being up there is rare and precious, a spiritual encounter with the divine. But you can’t live on a windswept, open mountaintop. You must come down. At least physically. Mentally, the mountain can stay with you for a long time in the form of decisions you made up there and in your gratitude for a home, running water, beloved family, and fulfilling work.”
Moving Forward: “What places, literally and figuratively, are mountaintop experiences? How do you carry those feelings into your day-to-day life?