On edge: tense, restless, irritable, that is. We’ve all known what it’s like. An exam in the offing, a result from the lab, an imminent driving test: these are triggers that can make us uneasy. We are sensitive creatures and we respond to stimuli, change, threats. It’s part of being human.
Friends notice it. We may find ourselves getting special consideration – a cup of tea, even. Being on edge is not an enjoyable state of affairs, any more than being out of breath or feeling dizzy or shivering. Being on edge and alone is sometimes intolerable.
But the usual parade of visits of a bout of on-edgery have been supplemented by a new battalion. This one is rampant and sinister. It is resulting in queues at vaccination centres. It seems to be a disturbance to our understood routine but it is an aspect of the human condition that we are fortunate if we manage to avoid it.
Pre-Christian poems may help us here. Depth of feeling did not begin with the incarnation. We are always having to remind ourselves that the New Testament Gospel came to a generation that had a store of resources from way back. More particularly the Christian faith is hugely indebted to the inspiration of those who contributed to the collection of songs that we call psalms.
Even if we rarely turn the pages of a Bible, there are biblical phrases that have become part of our heritage. ‘Cleanliness is next to godliness’ is not actually in the Bible; nor is ‘Look before you leap.’ But these sayings remind us that we have good reason to consider hygiene and prudence. And it is in the Psalms that we often find telling phrases. Psalm 23 plumbs the depths with its ‘valley of the shadow of death’ Psalms 42 and 43 ponder the question that comes the way of us all ‘Why art thou cast down, O my soul?’ Psalm 22.6 has the psalmist lamenting the scorn thrust upon him ‘he trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him’ – and look at him now.
An exam will come and go. A lab result will be looked back on as one step on the way. Not everybody passes a driving test first time. There is such a thing as a second chance. One way or another we get over these hurdles. If we believe there is meaning in our human experience and if there is a supreme controller of our destiny, we shall be encouraged in this belief if we turn to the Psalms.
SINGING THE PSALMS
Yes, they still sing the Psalms in churches in Scotland and the USA. There are obvious no-nos (e.g. 137) and the practice of psalm-singing does not come naturally to present-day congregations but in the diocese of Dublin and Glendalough psalm-singing has been given a new impetus since 2019. They say: ‘The Psalms are valued by faith-communities worldwide. They are part of a worship tradition going back almost 5,000 years, They are an integral part of Church of Ireland worship and have been sung to Anglican chant in parish churches since the 1880s.
If you have a comment on this post please send an email to Revd John King at johnc.king@talktalk.net Edited extracts may be published. To forward this to a friend click on the chain icon below.
Comments