Psalm 102 • Jeremiah 23:9-15 • Romans 9:1-18 • John 6:60-71
Psalm 102
Do not hide your face from me in the
day of my distress, cries the
psalmist in Psalm 102. Despair, distress, and destitution come from him as he
pours out his soul to God. In the depths of despair, he is mired in sickness of
body, heart and soul. For I eat ashes
like bread, and mingle tears with my drink, because of thy indignation and
anger; for thou has taken me up and thrown me away. One can only imagine
the desperation he must have felt at being rejected by God, both personally and
metaphorically with his people, Israel. Yet, even in this time of despair, he
honors and praises God. In his extreme distress, he expresses his entreaty and
belief that God will hear the cries of his people and have mercy on them. He
never loses hope.
How
many of us can relate to these emotions? How many of us have felt abandoned by
God, or conversely, that we have abandoned God?
How often have we lost hope and been mired in our despair? But we are
given a way out. This most powerful turning point is revealed in the
Incarnation! It is about God’s loving and unconditional love for us. It is about forgiveness and acceptance, and
recognition that since God forgives us, it is OK for us to forgive ourselves. It
is about knowing that even in the depths of despair, God is there, and there is
hope. As St. Paul declares, Nothing can
separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. Through
acceptance of God’s unconditional love and forgiveness, we need not face the
despair of the Psalmist as he cries that God has taken him up and thrown him away. We are freed from despair and
able to move forward, secure in God’s love, with renewed spirit and confidence
to become wholly who we are meant to be.
— Nancy E. Brockman
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