Today's Meditation
Read Psalm 63
1O 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.
2So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.
3Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.
4So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.
5My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
6when I think of you on my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
7for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
8My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
9But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth;
10they shall be given over to the power of the sword, they shall be prey for jackals.
11But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped.
The notes in my NRSV (New Revised Standard Version) Bible says that this psalm was written by David while he was hiding from King Saul in the Judean wilderness. King Saul wanted to kill David. Although I've never been to the hillsides and wilderness surrounding Jerusalem, I've seen pictures and friends of mine have shared with me their experiences there. It is a desolate place - hot, dry, and barren with little vegetation, mostly dust, sand and rock. Basic resources, such as food and water are scarce.
Amanda Benckhuysen, professor of Old Testament at Calvin Theological Seminary, wrote a commentary about this psalm in 2019. "Far away from the temple, the psalmist feels spiritually distant from God. He longs to experience the immediacy with God that he had known previously when he worshipped God among his people and in the sanctuary of his house. This, for the psalmist, being close to God, knowing God's presence and his steadfast love is better than life itself. It is as satisfying to the soul as food is to the hungry."
How well we know this feeling, today! And we aren't even in a dry, parched land. But we are in a landscape of the wilderness. We don't know what is around the next boulder, over the crest of the hill. We don't know what dangers lie ahead. We've barely understood the changes, the strangeness, and the dangers we've just encountered.
But we find our refuge in God, even in the wilderness, even in that difficult and barren land. We find it in the shadow of God's wings. Many years ago, I remember going to a small lake to enjoy the scenery. A flock of geese had claimed the lake as their nesting ground. Several pairs had taken up house and home and were rearing their goslings nearby. They were adorable, peeking out from beneath the wings of the goose or gander nestled down to keep them warm. We were permitted to watch from a far distance, but you could not get too close or one of the parents would spread its large wings, crook it long neck and start honking quite loudly. If that wasn't enough to scare you off and back away, the goose would charge. When I was a young child, I'd been bitten by a goose before and I wasn't interested in a repeat performance. I backed away, happy to watch from a distance.
This is the very same image that comes to mind when David talks about being in the safe refuge of God's shadow. God provides warmth and home, but also fiercely protects us. Yes, we are currently still in the wilderness, far from our comfort zones, but God is there providing shelter and protection.
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