I am like the deaf, who cannot hear, like the mute, who cannot speak; I have become like one who does not hear, whose mouth can offer no reply. – Psalm 38:13-14

Today’s Scripture Reading (May 28, 2019): Psalm 38

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing
and rightdoing there is a field.
I'll meet you there.

The words belong to the thirteenth-century Islamic theologian and poet Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī, more popularly known as just Rumi. And the thought is intriguing. We often get too tied up in the ideas of right and wrong, and sometimes are even misled by them. I am convinced that much of what we believe to be moral might not have come from God, but rather from our own ideas and political convictions. It might surprise us how God might react to some of the moral issues that we are so sure about if we could only hear his voice. We can become very entrenched in our own conception of what is ethical. And as a result, we can easily ignore the other views.

This is especially true when it comes to our “big ticket” issues like abortion and homosexuality. I fail to understand how our “Christianity” disappears when we begin the conversation with people on the other side of these issues. Why is it okay to lie and cheat, as long as we get what we want on abortion legislature? Is God okay with that? Our behavior seems to say yes, but I am not convinced that that is the truth. Maybe more for Christians than any other group of religious believers, how we get there is essential. We may want to achieve specific goals, but achieving those goals without loving our neighbor, whoever that person might be, or by lying and cheating, is not worth the journey. We sell out the most basic elements of our Christianity to achieve our perceived moral goals, and the result is that we become damaged and compromised

Often what we need is to find Rumi’s field, somewhere out beyond the concepts of right and wrong.  Maybe a place where we can lay down our weapons and arguments, and just hear the voice of God. Our voices often drown out God’s instruction. As we shout from our strongholds of what is right, but no one hears us because they are shouting too. And we do not listen to their cries because our voices drown out the voices of our critics.

David seems to have found himself in precisely this spot. David’s misery is overwhelming. His critics are complaining about him, and he has been responding. But now he has reached a point where he understands that no one really hears his voice, and he does not hear theirs. It is as if he has become deaf and mute. And at this moment, what David needs more than anything is hear from God. He knows that he is unable to defend himself, and needs God more than ever.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 39

Personal Note: Happy Birthday to my Wife, Nelda.