Monday, March 24th
Whit Rayner
“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God… Why, my soul, are you downcast?… Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my savior and my God.” Psalm 42:1-5 (excerpts)
When choosing between the various assigned readings for Lenten meditations, as a chorister, I frequently am drawn to the Psalm. We “sing” Psalms every Sunday, and the lyrics to many of our anthems and hymns are taken directly from Psalms. My choice this year is no exception.
Today’s Psalm is a favorite of mine. You will recognize today’s reading as a Psalm frequently chanted in our services. It serves as the text for several favorite anthems sung by our choir (one even in Latin!) and is the text for one of my top five Cursillo songs of all time.
Why does this Psalm strike a chord (pardon the pun) with me?Like the flowers of the field and birds of the air, deer are totally reliant on God to provide food, water and sustenance. And the Psalmist equates himself to a deer, likewise totally dependent on God for his survival. But in this instance, the Psalmist, and all of us, are seeking spiritual sustenance—the imagery of our souls literally panting, is overwhelming. And despite the plaintive tone of the Psalm, we realize “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Put your hope in God…”
As is written in Psalm 34, “Oh taste and see, how gracious the Lord is. Blessed is the man, that trusteth in Him.” So, let not your hearts be troubled.
My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will
does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me,
and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
-Prayer of Thomas Merton, from Thoughts in Solitude