Rector’s Reflections
Friday 13th September 2024
A Different Take on Psalm 23
We have now reached the 3rd verse of Addison’s hymn.
This verse reads as follows:
“Though in a bare and rugged way
Through devious lonely wilds I stray,
Thy bounty shall my pains beguile;
The barren wilderness shall smile
With sudden greens and herbage crowned,
And streams shall murmur all around”.
What is Addison seeking to say in this verse? His starting point is the observation that life is sometimes hard. It can feel that we are in the middle of a “barren wilderness”. We are walking along a “bare and rugged” path, and our journey is hard-going. We can feel that we are having to bear our burdens alone – or perhaps we have decided that this is our best or only option. But for whatever reason, we are in a ”lonely” place.
And we are faced with more than mere loneliness. We are in a place where there are no clear signposts, and there is no GPS to guide us. We are faced with a variety of pathways and do not know which we should take. Some pathways will take us where we need to get to, but in a very roundabout manner – they are “devious” routes, in the sense of being indirect. But some routes are “devious” in another sense: they are “devious” in the sense of being “dishonest”. I wonder whether Addison has in mind his own experience as a MP and as the holder of various Government offices. It was a world in which the concept of probity in public office was in its infancy, and even where the concept was recognised, it was not considered incompatible with practices which later generations would consider quite improper.
Perhaps Addison felt very much alone, having to navigate his boat of integrity on an ocean of corruption. I think that for many of us there are times when we feel we are alone, in a difficult and dangerous place. We are finding life hard-going. Perhaps we find ourselves wandering in different directions, unsure of the path we should take. What should we do when we find ourselves in a “bare and rugged way”?
Addison encourages us to look to the goodness of God. God is a generous giver, Who wishes to pour out his love and kindness upon us. He wishes to share His “bounty” with us. And when we experience God’s “bounty”, our attention is diverted away from the difficulties we are experiencing. The difficulties and pain do not disappear. But we are reminded of God’s love and goodness, and this helps us to put our own problems into perspective. It reminds us that while we experience difficulties in our lives, we enjoy many blessings, too. And so Addison can write that God’s “bounty” will “beguile” our pains, using the word “beguile” in the sense of providing a pleasant diversion.
And Addison goes on to remind us that God is always ready to surprise us with a fresh revelation of His love, and His beauty. As I write these words, I am reminded of a visit to Wales some years ago. It was raining and the magnificent landscape all around me was drab and subdued. And then suddenly the rain stopped, and the sun came out. The greens of the landscape shone intensely in the sunlight, and the poet within me felt that I had walked into a Heavenly land. It did not last long, but while it lasted, I felt transported into a place of transcendent and eternal beauty.
This is how Addison expresses a similar thought:
“the barren wilderness shall smile
With sudden greens and herbage crowned,
And streams shall murmur all around”.
Yes, sometimes our lives can feel like a “barren wilderness”. But then, perhaps when we least expect it, we are surprised by a sudden revelation of the goodness of God. We see “sudden greens and herbage crowned, and streams shall murmur all around”. Out of the blue, we have been surprised by God. How precious are times like these! They are to be treasured indeed.