Lenten Meditation: February 24, 2024
Daily Scripture Passage: Psalm 55
O that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. I would flee to a far-off place and make my lodging in the wilderness. — Psalm 55:7-8
When her abusive father, holding a liquor bottle, calls her to come into the house, Jenny grabs a young Forrest Gump’s hand and runs with him into a corn field. She drops to her knees, pulling Forrest down, and begs him to pray with her, “Dear God, make me a bird so I can fly far, far away from here.”
In anguish because of the world’s clamorous horrors and afraid of death, the psalmist similarly prays to fly far away. Once praying, the psalmist reveals sorrow like Jenny’s: someone close, who should have been trustworthy, has instead brought betrayal and harm. The psalmist confesses to God a yearning to flee into the wilderness to find peace and protection there.
It is natural to wish to flee wickedness, and it is right when we can find safety. The Desert Fathers and Mothers did, escaping the dangers for Christians, atrocities, and warfare of the 4th century Roman Empire to seek safety, silence, and spiritual peace in the Egyptian wilderness.
Yet we cannot always fly away. Nor will we always wish to – remember the saints who sacrificed their lives saving others from evil. Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness were not about escape, but rather preparation. The Holy Spirit came upon him in baptism, then drove him into the desert to ready him to confront, not flee, the terrors of the world and death, towards creating new possibility for goodness and risen life.
We can pray with the psalmist when we genuinely need safety. What song might we pray with Jesus to share in his mission? Perhaps this cherished country song:
When troubles surround us
When evils come
The body grows weak
The spirit grows numb
When these things beset us
God doesn't forget us
He sends down His love
On the wings of a dove