Narrative Lectionary Program Year Four– John, Psalm 13
June 13, 2021, Psalm 13
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Furthering the Power of God’s Story – Narrative Lectionary Commentary
by Daniel D. Maurer
Ever had to wait to eat when you’re really hungry? It’s amazing, really, when you think about it, how much the human brain is wired to know what it needs in the moment and then desire that thing. Standing outside of a restaurant, waiting for your turn for the host to call your family’s name, you are ready to sit down to chow down. After you’ve eaten and you’ve got a full belly, you look at the sorry lot still standing in line waiting to get a seat. You ask yourself, “Why are all these people standing around here, looking ravished? What’s their issue?”
Beyond that, neuroscience has shown that the brain is more than the sum of its parts; it’s a network. So, when a person perceives a need, is it the brain’s perception of the need or is it the person’s, the self’s, the soul’s?
As a person in recovery from addiction, I understand now how this process becomes haywired. Or shall we say, crosswired. When drugs and alcohol enter the mix, the self and one’s perceived need becomes central.
I’m beginning this short reflection in this way for today’s summer reading for the Narrative Lectionary on Psalm 13 for two reasons: one is that the message of “how long?” I believe many can relate with already. The other is the curiously appropriate pairing for this reading for today, namely from John 6:35, “I am the bread of life.”
The Psalmist begins with the question, “How long?” Just as important, though, we read in verse 3, “Consider and answer me, O Lord my God! Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death.”
Like much of the Hebrew Bible, people not only share their pleas with God, they argue and converse. They try to convince God!
The brain may be a neural network, but God knows our hearts and our souls. God knows our needs. The Psalmist here seems to say, “Hey! Look! I’ve trusted in your steadfast love (hesed). Now it’s time for you to pony up, God!”
God’s response is through Jesus, who states that he is the bread of life. That’s well and fine, but when you’re hungry, you’re hungry. But I don’t believe that Jesus (or God, for that matter) is somehow saying that if you believe in Jesus, you won’t be hungry. Indeed, Jesus himself encourages us to feed the hungry (and not just the privileged westerners standing in line to wait to sit in a restaurant, post-covid).
Instead, this pairing is most appropriate for this day in this way:
“Consider and answer me, O Lord my God!”
“Okay. Here’s Jesus. Eat the bread of life, and feed the hungry. You will not get instant answers or relief, but I will be with you, hearing you, providing for a need even greater than hunger.”
Consider. Answer.
This is a God to whom we as followers can not only listen, but we can provide for others who are hurting, who themselves ask, “How long?” We, ourselves, can BE that which God is calling us to be for the sake of others. When our turn comes when we ask, “How long?" the answer will come in those whom God exists through themselves.
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Great Quotes
“Patience is power.
Patience is not an absence of action;
rather it is “timing”
it waits on the right time to act,
for the right principles
and in the right way.”
“Waiting hurts. Forgetting hurts. But not knowing which decision to take can sometimes be the most painful...”
“People are afraid of themselves, of their own reality; their feelings most of all. People talk about how great love is, but that’s bullshit. Love hurts. Feelings are disturbing. People are taught that pain is evil and dangerous. How can they deal with love if they’re afraid to feel? Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they’re wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio. You feel your strength in the experience of pain. It’s all in how you carry it. That’s what matters. Pain is a feeling. Your feelings are a part of you. Your own reality. If you feel ashamed of them, and hide them, you’re letting society destroy your reality. You should stand up for your right to feel your pain.”
“Turn your wounds into wisdom.”
A Good Read
Reflections on the Psalms
by C.S. Lewis
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Video Resources
Tribute to plane crash using Psalm 13
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Free Dramatic Reading For This Text (NRSV)
Psalm 13
Readers: Reader 1, Reader 2
Reader 1: How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
Reader 2: How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
Reader 1: Consider and answer me, O Lord my God! Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death, and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”; my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.
Reader 2: But I trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
Reader 1: I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.