Psalm 42
When Jonah prayed to God from inside the belly of the fish, our scriptural focus this past Sunday, he quoted a line from Psalm 42:7 – “… all your waves and billows have passed over me.” Here, then, is a reflection on Psalm 42, which echoes some of the same themes articulated this last Sunday as we sought to answer the question, “Why is it, exactly, that we pray to the Lord?”
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St. Augustine famously said, “My soul is restless, O God, until it finds its rest in you.” He said this after trying to find meaning and happiness in a variety of different ways himself. First, he followed his own interests and passions. Next, he studied different philosophies. Along the way, his mother – whom he loved dearly – passed away. Eventually, through all these twists and turns his life had taken, he found solace in Christ; in the Gospel; in the promises given in the Holy Word. Like Augustine, we may take a while to get there, but there is only one thing that truly affords us peace, hope, certainty, and true rest - faith in God through Jesus the Christ.
This is the focus of the first two verses of Psalm 42. It is as natural for our souls to want closeness with God as it is for a thirsty deer to pant for a drink of water from a cool stream. This is not up for debate. It is not a hypothesis or theory. It is a fact. Yet, as was the case for Augustine, we too often take the long way – the hard way – to realize this. We seek our happiness and fulfillment in our work, our savings accounts, our service to others, and even in our love for those closest to us. As noble as these things may be, they cannot provide us true happiness and fulfillment. They were never meant to. Only God can do that.
In our lives, there will be moments – perhaps even many moments – when it feels that God is far away; times when we feel like speaking the words of v. 9 – “…my (God), why have you forgotten me?” In such times, our hope comes in the message of v. 6 and v. 11, “Hope in God, because we will see God again… our hope and our God.” This truth is so important to the psalmist it is given twice! When we turn to God and seek a greater closeness with God, that kind of connection doesn’t happen overnight. No relationship ever does. But God is always there, ready for it to grow. The more we intentionally seek that God and commit to that God, the greater we will see our relationship with God grow. And over time, we will not only understand – but truly experience – the true rest that our souls have always desired.
God of true rest, thank you for always being there for me. Thank you for taking me back every time my earthly decisions lead me away from you. And thank you for being the one constant and certainty on which I can rely, through all life’s ups, downs and changes. Amen.
Blessings – Michael