Psalm 81 - Like a Mother

This Psalm has been with me all day today. It is such a vivid song- describing the sense of God longing to be in full community with the people. In verse 10, God reminds them of their shared history as the One who brought them up out of slavery. But what comes next is so beautiful - "Open your mouth wide and I will fill it."

My imagination immediately went to a baby bird in a nest waiting for mom to return back to the nest with food. And then I went to this little fawn who was bedded up in our church prayer garden while Mama was presumably away getting food.

But the little one just stayed there, even through a thunderstorm that blew through. The little one didn't run off scared when these humans came out to take pictures or when the rain was pouring and winds whipping.

The regret in this song is over how God's children walked away to other voices with whom they had no history. And it pains God. I wonder how God feels when looking to this world with what we are doing to all parts of Creation every day. How God must weep as she witnesses the pain and hurt we inflict upon one another. I imagine God tonight softly saying, "Come home...I would feed you with the finest of the wheat and with honey from the mountains."