The eternal now

Psalm 27 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Of David.

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
    of whom shall I be afraid?

When evildoers assail me
    to devour my flesh—
my adversaries and foes—
    they shall stumble and fall.

Though an army encamp against me,
    my heart shall not fear;
though war rise up against me,
    yet I will be confident.

One thing I asked of the Lord,
    that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord,
    and to inquire in his temple.

For he will hide me in his shelter
    in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
    he will set me high on a rock.

Now my head is lifted up
    above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
    sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.

Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud,
    be gracious to me and answer me!
“Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!”
    Your face, Lord, do I seek.
    Do not hide your face from me.

Do not turn your servant away in anger,
    you who have been my help.
Do not cast me off, do not forsake me,
    O God of my salvation!
If my father and mother forsake me,
    the Lord will take me up.

Teach me your way, O Lord,
    and lead me on a level path
    because of my enemies.
Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,
    for false witnesses have risen against me,
    and they are breathing out violence.

I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
    be strong, and let your heart take courage;
    wait for the Lord!

One thing about the Psalms - and this Psalm in particular - is that we need to remember the immediacy and the timeliness of them.  When we read a line like "The Lord is my light and my salvation," this isn't referring to someday in heaven.  

This Psalm is grounded in the eternal now.  In this life.  In this world.  

Even in the midst of desperation, David (the Psalmist), is confident.  Is certain.  Is hopeful.

Because it is there in the midst of that, where God saves him.  David knows with confidence that God not only will come, but God is already there.

In advent, like the Psalmist, we wait for the Lord.  But we know that the Lord we wait for is one who will know suffering intimately.  

The Lord we wait for is one who stands with us when we are feeling alone or on the margins of our life.

The Lord we wait for brings light into the darkness.

The Lord we wait for will know all the broken pieces of our lives and be able to save us from them not simply in a distant future, but right now in the midst of them.

And not just now, but all the days of our life.

Holy one, come.  Come and sit with me and lead me through my times of sorrow.  Amen.