Healthy Mind, Body and Soul Journey 3/22/12

Psalm 55  is my inspiration and comfort for my post this morning. David, the author of this particular Psalm, is obviously burdened with a trial much different than my own. Wondrously, one of the most beautiful things about the holy scripture of God, and the Psalms in particular, is the words can be applied in our lives, in a vastly different way than they were used for the author.  It's how we draw inspirations and gain wisdom from reading the scripture. The exact circumstance doesn't matter here, but the anguish is the same.

While reading this Psalm today, what I was first drawn to verses 6-8. How many times (especially lately) I have wanted to fly like a bird away from my troubles; fly far, far away and to be at rest from my troubles!  Would that I could, I would rush to a place of shelter, from the commotion of my life, from the tempest of the storm.  More than anything, flying away like a dove is what I most want to do at this juncture.  Anything to just take away the turmoil in my soul.

Unfortunately it is not possible to fly away as a dove, not to to be beamed up, or even for Calgon to take us away from our problems. Trying to run away from trouble never works because like a bad penny those problems turn up wherever we are - they follow us around. So we only have one choice and that is to stay the course and fight the good fight.

It is in verse 16 of this passage that, after David wishes all sorts of heinous things upon the lives of his enemies that he gets hold of himself and says "As for me, I call to God and he saves me."  Of course, he doesn't stop crying out morning, noon and night for the Lord to hear his entreaties for a respite from his pain; he keeps right on wailing.  Slowly, he remembers that God is strong enough to overcome his situation, but his human nature still struggles with the realities of his life versus the strength and power of his God.

As the Psalm continues, David laments the betrayal he's felt in his life.  It hurts his very soul.  Although my own struggles, as I said earlier, are not the same as David's, my very soul hurts just the same.  I lament the fact that I feel violated by my own body.  My head and my heart are hurting and they need peace.

At the very end of the Psalm David says "Cast your cares upon the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let [you] be shaken... As for me, I will trust in [God]".  The word nerd in me is stuck on the  word - cast.  I wish I new Hebrew, so I could understand fully what is meant by the use of that particular word in the passage, but I don't, so I will have to rely on my own thoughts and the fact that in other parts of the passage, nature and animals are used as metaphors.

I believe cast in this incidence  means to cast my cares too the Lord, as if I were casting a fishing rod.  I'm still attached to the care, by the line and the pole, and I also note, I have to actually participate in this activity. I cast my nasty little problem out to God, in hopes of getting something bigger and greater in return.  I cast the care out to God and, if I've done my job of casting correctly,  he takes that bait and allows me to reel back a perfect fish. A fish that will feed me, metaphorically speaking.  It will feed me and give me strength to sustain myself for another day. That is the beauty of my God, I can cast a nasty old worm out to him and he will, in return, give me a blessing to feast upon.