Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Psalm 39
Though this psalm seems, in many ways, to rail against God, I wonder, perhaps, if it is written as though at the end of life, when death is imminent but accepted. Verses 4 through 6 show our lives as a tiny pinprick of time, while God lingers on at the edges, blinking the decades past. God is always watching; in the desperation against our fears and in the declarations of our joy, God’s eyes are fixed firmly upon each event of our lives.
It is striking, then, to hear the psalmist say, “For I am your passing guest, an alien, like all my forebears. Turn your gaze away from me, that I may smile again, before I depart and am no more.” Is this God being thrust away, that we might have a moment of peace even from the watchful eye of God? Perhaps. But I wonder if this is not a person lovingly telling God to go, and to watch out for those who are in need.
“For you have been my companion, though my days are long and yours are but a heartbeat. Now, when I will soon be no more, go and be companion to those who live.”
- Joshua Zentner-Barrett
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