The Sunflower follows the sun. We might hear echoes of that turning of the heart in Psalm 16 here. Click on the Sunflower to hear the psalm read.
Verses 1-3: A Catholic may have a hard time understanding the first verses of this psalm. It sounds like the psalmist is boasting. Growing up, I remember hearing, "Don't be so sure of yourself" when someone expressed some positive insight about oneself. That positive thought might be considered pride. Some folks have heard this so often they are unable to accept a simple compliment, let alone speak as confidently of himself/herself as the psalmist does.
This fellow feels confident enough that he invites God to look at his life inside out — in his heart, in his sleep when he cannot pretend. "Test me." It's almost a dare or taunt.
Verse 4-9: But with the second part of verse 4 something shifts and the psalmist reveals that he knows the source of his boast is not his doing, but God's. We might identify this awareness as grace. Grace is not a commodity to stored up like covid era paper products, but what God shares of himself with us — God's energies.
The psalmist says in effect, "I've stayed far from violence because of your word. Not my own path but your path. I'm here (maybe feeling a little lonely) confident that you (God) will hear me. Display your love, God. Take me by your right hand."
This fellow is poor and needy after all. He knows he can't do it alone. "Guard me - hide me" from anything that would attack me. He doesn't identify any attacker by name but we might imagine there are troublemakers in his life. He feels threatened by the circle of violent foes who want his undoing. Then, continuing for some verses, he describes the dangerous world he lives in and in which we live too.
Verse 10: Now the psalmist acknowledges there are people whose hearts are shut, who are arrogant, who are watching him. We might understand even better than he does. Is there an inch of the nation that doesn't have a camera positioned on it. The practice helps to solve crimes for sure, but others don't like it. They feel there is something more sinister behind it.
Verse 11: "...as if there are lions to claw." We live in a dangerous world - a wild world where people can say whatever they want to say about others online. We're constantly being invited to "review" people and products and to comment. A reputation can be destroyed on social media — a kind of wild clawing at people. The psalmist has his own understanding, and we have our own.
Verses 13,14: Here the psalmist is feeling particularly needy and vulnerable. "Let your sword rescue my soul." His inner life feels threatened. His peace is gone, his inner stability and sense of security. What's happened to that happy, self-satisfied feeling about himself in the first verses?
He asks to be rescued from people who only think about the present life — the people who care only about power and money. Evil things are often done to hold onto power and wealth — cheating, lies, theft, greed — even murder, violence, false imprisonment. The psalmist says he knows people hold on like this so they can hand their wealth off to their children. Some things never change, heh?
Verse 15: But then (and this happens in every psalm) there is a shift. We can almost feel the psalmist snapping out of his complaint and returning to God's love. "But as for me, I want to see your face and be filled." Isn't it interesting, with all his early boast, you'd think he'd need nothing more. But instead, when all is said and done, he feels empty and asks God to fill him.
Finally this: "...and be filled when I awake." He's not talking about waking up from his night's sleep but waking up from his own inner slumber, his negativity, his even bitter distraction, his own desiring to have and to win, perhaps to wake up from his fears and resentments. Then, when I wake up, I will see again how glorious and good you are, O God! We can all make that our prayer. Indeed, a whole comatose nation can make that prayer.
