In the final verses of Psalm 39, the author begs God to leave him alone. “Look away from me, that I may enjoy life again before I depart and am no more.” (v. 13) What a line! The psalmist’s admission that he experiences God as cruel may not be good theology, but it’s honest, and true to human experience. If you’ve ever perceived that God has allowed (or even facilitated) suffering to come into your life, you’ve probably vented in a similar way.
The opening verses of Psalm 40 bears witness to a happy resolution. After an extended period of anxiety and despair, the author has found his footing and regained composure.
I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
Last Saturday it rained over five inches before 12pm (and a few more after). I spent most of the day in Dorothea Dix Park racing my bike. I gained a new appreciation for the hazards of mud and the blessings of dry solid ground.