Rector’s Reflections
Wednesday 23rd October 2024
Spiritual Wisdom from the Psalms (Psalms 105 and 106)
I finished yesterday’s reflections with a couple of questions: How might we be more faithful in our response to God’s loving presence in our lives? What might we do to show that we are truly grateful for all that God has done in our lives?
The opening verses of Psalm 105 provide us with some clear guidance: we are to seek God out, looking for him where he might be found. “ O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful works. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually.” (Psalm 105, verses 1 to 4).
So the psalmist encourages us to seek God out. It might be the start of our journey of discovery, or it might be that we began our journey of discovery many years ago, but have lost our way or become distracted.
For some, this journey of discovery is all about the actions we choose to take, and the things we choose to do. We might seek God through saying our prayers, joining in with worship, studying the bible, or reading the works of the great masters of the spiritual life. We might also seek God through acts of loving service, serving others in the name of Christ.
For others, the journey of discovery is more passive. We seek God by creating times of quiet, where we are freed from all the distractions of our busy lives. We find a time and place when we can still our busy minds, and let God speak to us. It can be hard to carve out this quiet time, when we can be alone with God. Sometimes people find it by going for a walk. Some people find time to go on a quiet day or a short retreat, although the pressure of work and family life can make this difficult.
It can also be difficult because our culture tends to emphasise the importance of activity. We are encouraged to be up and doing things, and are used to being measured and assessed by the things we have managed to get done. In such a culture, the idea of simply sitting quietly with God for an hour or so can seem a scandalous waste of time. And yet an hour’s quiet time with God can be transformative: it can put everything into perspective, and we can emerge from our time of quiet refreshed and renewed.
I would add that this culture of activism afflicts church life, too. I think the Church of England might be much more effective if we spent less time doing stuff, and more time reflecting and listening to God.
So the psalmist is encouraging us to focus or re-focus our efforts on seeking God. This might involve our doing various things which will lead us closer to God, such as spending time in prayer or bible study, or serving our communities in practical ways. But it might involve our doing nothing at all, beyond carving out a quiet time to be with God – a time for us to listen to what God might wish to say to us. We give God the gift of our undivided attention, and allow God to do the rest.
And how do we know that we have found God? After all, when people go searching for someone or something, it is with the intention of finding the person or object in question. There might be two answers to this. The first is that we shall never fully find God in this life. In this life, we might see or feel glimpses of his presence, but it is only in the life to come – the life of heaven- that we shall truly find God. This does not mean that the search of God in this life is a pointless activity. Far from it. It gives us a wonderful foretaste of what is awaiting us in the life to come. It also gives us a sense of purpose and direction for our lives here on earth.
But the second answer is that it is indeed possible to find God in this life. Our life here on earth need not be spent in an endless search for the God will shall never find. It is quite possible for us to find God here in this life, if we are prepared to look for him, and the signs of his presence. I shall explore this further in tomorrow’s reflections.