Remember What? (2)
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Psalm 42
In the Armenian sermon we were
talking about the lament of the people who lost their land and lost their place
of worship. In their pain, the enemy mocked them saying, “Where is your God?”
Even the Israelites themselves
started wondering whether God still remembered them.
It is a terrible thing to suffer
from amnesia. I have seen
individuals forgetting who they are, forgetting their spouses or children. My
grandmother, who had Alzheimer’s, forgot where she lived; she used to tell me
she was in Aintab and not
But it is sad also that we
forget things when we are extremely occupied. Last week a couple forgot
their child in a car for 17 hours. Unfortunately, they found the child dead. It
was reported that in the
Psalm 42 has two sides. On one
hand, the psalmist laments and asks
tough questions. On the other hand, he remembers
God’s presence in his suffering.
In the Armenian sermon, I said we
remember our forefathers and foremothers and their pain.
Secondly, we remember the resurrection of the dry bones in the deserts
of Deir Zor.
Although we lost 1.5 million
Armenians, we remember that we survived and we still live and praise our God
who is our shelter and refuge. Each of
us is a testimony of survival. Our existence together as an Armenian church is
witness to the resurrection of the dry bones.
Memory in the OT is a very
important reality. From the Pentateuch through the Prophets, 350 times we find
this concept occurring. For the Israelites, recalling something or bringing it
to memory was not just a static idea. “Almost
without exception, a call to remember is at the same time a call to action.
Israel is called to remember Yahweh in order to remain faithful to Him. She is
to remember the commandments and keep them. She should remember Yahweh’s
wonderful acts and give praise for them.”1
Our psalmist realizes the tragedy
he is living, yet he also remembers how he was with “the multitude, leading the
procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the
festive throng.”(vs. 4)
He also says: (although) “my soul
is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of
Jordan…”(vs. 6)
These words are also our words. I
look back and find out that although we were driven out of Cilicia, but when we
arrived to Aleppo, Beirut, Damascus,
Athens, Marseille, Ellis Island, Fresno… and all over the world, we rebuilt
new churches, new homes, new schools and
started a new life. The enemy wanted to destroy us so we would not worship and
pray to our God; on the contrary, the enemy could not stop us from remembering
how important was and is to come together to worship and thank God for His
miracle in our lives. The evidence is here today in our worship service.
When we look at the Bible we see
many places where Israelites forgot
who God was in their lives. It was not a matter of amnesia. No, it was a
willful choice and a rejection of memory. God woke them up from their
“amnesia”. Read the prophets and you will find the alerting sound of God reminding them of their covenant.
We too as Armenians should be
careful to not forget who God is and
how God helped rebuild the Armenian communities in the Diaspora as well our
nation of Armenia today. Therefore, like the psalmist, let us respond collectively to our Creator in thanksgiving and praise.
Let us find Hope in God.
Thirdly, we remember that God was and is in our suffering.
God who appeared to us through
Jesus Christ does not stop the evildoers from crucifying His Son.
God did not interfere to stop
Pilate.
God did not stop the Pharisees
from their false accusations.
God did not stop the soldiers
from mocking our Lord.
God suffered when Christ was
suffering on the cross.
The same God suffered with us
when our grandparents were walking the death-path.
The same God gave us courage to
stand firm in our faith and not compromise.
The same God gave us courage to
move on and establish new communities in different places, as William Saroyan
says, “Because when
two of them meet anywhere in the world, you will see that they will create a
new Armenia.”
Paul says:
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall
tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger,
or sword?
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor
rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor
height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate
us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35, 38,39)
In the end the psalmist in his
tribulations he finds his refuge and comfort in God.
“Why are you
downcast, O my soul?
Why so
disturbed within me?
Put your hope
in God,
For I will yet praise him,
My Savior and my God” (vs
11)
How wonderful are these words
written by the psalmist! Although he does not find all the answers to his pain
and agony, yet he finds hope in God and continues praising Him.
Let me quote from the commentary:
“The psalmist
suggests another way to remember God’s faithfulness: to long for and avail
ourselves whenever possible of opportunities to stand together with those who
are worshiping God. Even if we feel distant or abandoned, the celebration
will have the effect of renewing our certainty and hope.” 2
We are in a worship service. We
are worshiping with tears of pain and joy.
It is a time of testimony and
celebration for our life, our resurrected life, our new life.
It is time of confessing and
forgiving.
It is a time for asking justice
and recognition.
It is a time to be healed from
the wounds so we can live today and tomorrow.
“(Worship) is the place where we
remember the past, receive power to face the present, and conceive hope for
tomorrow.”3
May God use this psalm to heal
our wounds and learn to worship together remembering our Lord in our daily
lives.
Amen
1 NIV Application Commentary,
Book of Psalms, P. 675
2 ibid, p. 679
3 ibid, p. 680