ISAIAH 49:1-7 ; PSALM 71:1-14; Psalm 91
The beautiful lyrics are based on the text of Psalm 91, and can also be found in Psalm 71. today. Psalm 71 begins, “In you, O Lord, have I taken refuge; let me never be ashamed…Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe;” Psalm 91, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty ...” What might it mean for God to be our rock, or to dwell in God’s shelter? How do we make God our refuge?
Many of the hymns and prayers plead with God to abide with us. We ask for God’s presence to come among us, for God to be known. Sometimes, we ask for divine intervention – for God to inspire peace in our hearts or kindness towards the stranger among us. Despite this plea, how often do we take it upon ourselves to draw near to God? It can be easy to sit in prayer that God be known to us – but are we taking the same initiative and making ourselves known to God? Dwelling in the shelter of the Lord – abiding in God’s shadow – what might that look like?
There is nowhere we can go where God is not. There is no place on this earth that is without God’s presence. Psalm 139: 7-12 sings, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me. If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night, Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike.”
So the the whole world is in God’s shadow. There are places and times in our lives when it is easier to feel God’s presence. Perhaps you have heard others talk of times they have felt especially close with God. Sometimes, we feel closest to God when we are going through hard times. Something about tragedy or grief causes us to see the world through eyes more aware of the graces around us. We are more reliant on the kindnesses of strangers – more grateful for them when they arrive. We are more aware of the fragility of life – and being aware of mortality, our senses seem heightened to really enjoy the lives we have, as they are, right now. We can look around and see it all as what it is – a gift.
Lent may teach us this. We began the season with Ash Wednesday – with crosses marked on our foreheads, bidding us to remember that we are dust, and to dust we shall return. True Lenten disciplines are to bring us closer to God by eliminating some of the distractions – some of the noise in our lives. Lent is designed to bring us back to that awareness that we are finite – limited – mortal. That we, too, like all other living things, will come to an end. Lent lasts for 40 days of the year- it’s only a season among others; but shouldn’t it be year-round?
We are not a Lenten people in the Christian faith so much as a Resurrection people. We’re not supposed to go around dreary all the time, walking around with ashen crosses on our foreheads, we are not called to live in a state of perpetual grief. Though we may feel God near to us during hard times, listen! There is nothing wise; nothing holy; nothing right about seeking out pain in order to experience that closeness.
So, how do we take the reminder of that mortality – and allow it to propel us toward God, toward dwelling and abiding with God at all times, and in all places?
It might be just simple awareness. How can you look at your world, right now, in this minute – and see a gift in it?
When we look at our lives with gratitude – recognizing that those lives are finite – we can see God’s fingerprints more clearly. We see that our entire lives are lived in God’s safety, in God’s refuge. We see as the psalmist says, that we have been sustained by God from our very beginnings.
May we dwell in this shelter – in this safety – in this awareness. And may we find that God is bearing us up on eagles’ wings. Amen
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