“As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. …My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. … By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.” (Psalm 42, select verses)
The psalmist was far removed from the lands around Jerusalem. They were miles away from the temple, from the land which God set aside for worship and prayer. Finding themselves in the northernmost reaches of the territory the psalmist was feeling separated from God. This was a spiritual separation that was mimicked – or caused – by their physical distance from Jersualem and the house of worship. (The headwaters of the Jordan river, among the Hermon mountains and the foothills. “Mount Mizar” is an unknown mountain, however Mizar is a Hebrew word which means little, hence little hills, or, perhaps, foothills.)
They were feeling separated from God and near to their enemies (“As with a deadly wound in my body, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me continually, ‘Where is your God?'” (verse 9))
Their troubled soul they likened to being overtaken by the chaos of the primordial seas. Their inner turmoil is likened to being tossed about by the breaking surf.
And yet, despite their inner anguish, despite their grief caused by separation from the congregation, despite the nay-sayers hounding their faith, they commit themselves to turning their thoughts not to the people nor to the activities they’ve lost, but to God whose loving kindness (steadfast love) continues to reach them even in the mountains of the far north.
After all, God’s love is not commanded by the temple, nor by the congregation, nor by our geographical location, nor by the taunts of our enemies (whether they be other people or our own thoughts). God’s love is commanded by the eternal God of Life.
In truth, because of their inner turmoil, they commit to calling to mind the grace, the kindness, the provision, and the presence of the living God:
My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
Even in their mountain exile, they make a decision to remember the living “God of my life” (verse 8) and, in so doing, they realize that regardless of their present circumstances, the Living “God of my life” is the only consistent source of hope.
Faith in Jesus, the Christ, gives us the opportunity to choose how we will respond to circumstances. When we are feeling lost, separated from all that gives life meaning, separated from God, we can choose to be overcome by the thunder of the chaos, or, we can choose to remember the LORD who offers us peace and promise that stretch the limits of our human imagination.
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Jesus, Matthew 11:28-30)