Psalm 28-Righting Ourselves IN a Storm

Heart of my worship:

Psalm 28:1-“My Rock.” David derived many of his metaphors from where he grew up, “The Lord is my shepherd,” & here, My ROCK. To the east of Bethlehem is a precipitous plunge down thousands & thousands of feet to the Dead Sea. Places like the towering Masada, rising, rising from the Dead Sea Valley up, up, up to nearly Sea Level would have inspired Dave. What in creation around us could be brought into a metaphor? A mighty river? Thundering Ocean Surf, Forgiveness like a high tide that swept away our sin-filled prints of yesterday? A shipwreck? A Rescue?

Walter Brueggeman was brilliantly perceptive about the Psalmist’s life, and since so many of the Psalms connect with us, about our lives: We often begin well, oriented. This is a time of trust, Divine presence, peace and prosperity. Then chaos, an enemy, some storm disorients us, we are caught in a wave, thrown to the sand & coral deep. Confusion, suffering, loneliness are our only traveling companions. As we call out to God, we arise again and God reorients us. The latter, we find is far better than then the first!

In Psalm 28, David skips the Orientation. As Psalm 22 he awakes to the alien landscape. Yet he knows he has to chart his course to reorientation, a place found only with God. If we awaken to a deaf and dumb god, keep calling, calling out. The silence of God will be met by his love to communicate to us in the Word, the world, or through the quiet voice of a friend. God has heard and righted your ship.