Sunday 1 March
Making the Most High your dwelling
In
Genesis 2.15, God asks Adam to look after and care for the Garden of Eden, his
creation. But by chapter 3, Adam and Eve have sinned and feel the shame of
being separated from God. Psalm 32 also talks about the pain of being separated
from God because of sin. The psalmist uses dramatic language to express the
guilt and shame he feels as a result of sin (his bones wasting away and
groaning all day long). This is contrasted by the feelings he later expresses
from being in a restored relationship to God (being protected from trouble and
surrounded by songs of deliverance), which is perhaps how Adam and Eve felt in
the garden before sin entered. In the beginning the psalmist sounds desperate
and despairing whereas later he feels safe and full of joy and thankfulness.
Ever
since sin entered the world, we have found ourselves living somewhere between
the joy of being in a right relationship with God and the pain of being
separated from him. Even when we are in a right relationship with God, we may
face many difficulties, dark days and personal tragedies as a result of sin
being in the world. At times it may feel that such things will overwhelm us.
But
this psalm reminds us what a difference it makes when we can turn to God during
tough times. Seeing my former colleagues at A Rocha (HTB mission partner, https://www.arocha.org/en/) coping with the loss of three
friends and colleagues towards the end of last year – reminded me of how
precious and short life is and how none of us are immune from pain, grief and
even death itself. However, going through such experiences as a community with
a shared belief in a God who loves us and who has overcome even death really
does bring tremendous hope. Even in the midst of grief and pain, it is possible
to experience the peace and love that comes from being in a right relationship
to God.
As
the psalmist concludes:
“Many
are the woes of the wicked,
but
the LORD’s unfailing love
surrounds
the one who trusts in him.
Rejoice
in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
sing,
all you who are upright in heart!”
Janice
Weatherley
El
Paraíso Terrenal or Earthly Paradise by Pieter Brueghel el
Joven, c. 1626, Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain.
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