The God Who Draws Near

Sharing from a reflection I offered at our most recent memorial with the community and staff at the South Hampton and Woods Mullen shelters last week.

The Psalms are often a source of comfort in the midst of grief, fear, confusion, or anger. I think this is due in large part to the fact that the various Psalmist seem to be quite human. They wrestle with believing God is with them when they feel alone;

How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?    How long will you hide your face from me?How long must I wrestle with my thoughts    and day after day have sorrow in my heart?How long will my enemy triumph over me? (Psalm 13:1-2)

with understanding how the unrighteous seem to thrive even though God is just;

How long, Lord, will the wicked,    how long will the wicked be jubilant?

They pour out arrogant words;    all the evildoers are full of boasting.They crush your people, Lord;    they oppress your inheritance.They slay the widow and the foreigner;    they murder the fatherless.They say, “The Lord does not see;    the God of Jacob takes no notice. (Psalm 94:3-7)

with feeling alone or overwhelmed;

In the path where I walk    people have hidden a snare for me.Look and see, there is no one at my right hand;    no one is concerned for me.I have no refuge;    no one cares for my life. (Psalm 142: 3b-4)

And in the midst of the fear and overwhelm the Psalmists again and again remind us that we are never in fact alone – God is with in the midst of our joy, our suffering or our grief. This is the verse we read at the service last week:

The Lord builds up Jerusalem;    he gathers the exiles of Israel.He heals the broken-hearted    and binds up their wounds.

He determines the number of the stars    and calls them each by name.Great is our Lord and mighty in power;    his understanding has no limit. (Psalm 147:2-5)

In it I find hope and encouragement. It reminds us that in our hardest times, when our wounds feel raw He is with us. Perhaps, in our brokenness we are even able to sense and know the Lord in ways we cannot when we are less aware of our limitations and less connected to our own hurt. It also reminds us that we serve not only a God who draws near, but one that knows all – he determines the stars and calls each by name and who is mighty and powerful. More powerful than our suffering, stronger than our despair.

I find myself going to the Psalms again and again to find words for my pain, give voice to my hope and to be reminded of the love, power and justice of God.

One more Psalm that captures this well:

God is our refuge and strength,    an ever-present help in trouble.Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,though its waters roar and foam    and the mountains quake with their surging. (Psalm 46:1-3)