A sermon preached by Graham Low at St Mary’s, Iffley on 19th April 2023

One of the great figures of the early Christian church in Scotland was St Columba. Born in Ireland, he became a priest and founded a number of monasteries in Ireland, including Kells, before a war between his clan and the king forced him to leave Ireland. In 561 he and twelve kinsmen set off in a wicker coracle, and landed on the Island of Iona in the Inner Hebrides, where they founded a monastic community. He went on to bring the gospel to much of Scotland. He made a prodigious number of copies of biblical texts, and in his final hours he wrote his last words which were of verse 10 of Psalm 34, which we have just read together: “those who seek the Lord lack no good thing”. His brother monks thought these words fitted Columba perfectly. They felt that he would lack nothing of God’s eternal goodness.

The Psalm has several statements of warm testimony to God’s great goodness. Its verses are often complete and memorable statements in themselves:

Look to him, and be radiant;
   so your faces shall never be ashamed.

The angel of the Lord encamps
   around those who fear him, and delivers them.

O taste and see that the Lord is good;
   happy are those who take refuge in him.

There is a deep sense that the author sees the Lord as a faithful saviour. There is expression of personal warmth of experience.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
   and delivered me from all my fears.

This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord,
   and was saved from every trouble.

This testimony is quoted seven times in the New Testament and has echoed the experience of many down the ages,.

And yet there are many situations in which the protection or the healing of the Lord fail to be seen. At such times the faithful pray but to no apparent effect. St Columba himself, whose life was filled with hardship, often made prayer that was not apparently answered. So how, in such situations, does such profound prayer of praise still come from the soul?

For a person of faith the way through this apparent contradiction is to do with union with Christ. There were apparently no angels protecting Christ to ward off his executioners. There was apparently no answer to prayer in Gethsemane to remove the looming cross. And yet the prayer was answered and eventually the power of heaven led to victory.

In our own sufferings too, our prayer in Jesus’ name will be answered in God’s way. We may wait a long time, and we may fail to recognise it. It may be that in the fullness of a long time the fruit of our sufferings will be revealed. But even now in the troubles of our life our souls may be lit by the light of the resurrection. As we daily pray for God’s grace we may gradually find how true the words of the psalmist are:

O taste and see that the Lord is good;
   happy are those who take refuge in him.

When we are consciously alive to God’s love may we may joyfully join in the psalmists thanksgiving, without waiting for all the suffering and perplexity to be removed. May the warmth of the opening verses ring true for us:

 I will bless the Lord at all times;
   his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
   let the humble hear and be glad.

Prayer from this poem.

Lord, when we are eager for life, we long for days to enjoy what is good. Help us to follow the way of this psalm: learning to hear you; turning away from wrongdoing; seeking to do doing good; and pursuing peace. Help us to look to you and reflect upon your light. Lead us to taste and see that you are good.

You hear the cry of the faithful. You are near the broken hearted. As we watch with Jesus, may we be delivered from all our troubles. Amen.

PSALM 34

¹ I will bless the Lord at all times;
   his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
² My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
   let the humble hear and be glad.

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

³ O magnify the Lord with me,
   and let us exalt his name together.

⁴ I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
   and delivered me from all my fears.

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

⁵ Look to him, and be radiant;
   so your^* faces shall never be ashamed.
⁶ This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord,
   and was saved from every trouble.

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

⁷ The angel of the Lord encamps
   around those who fear him, and delivers them.
⁸ O taste and see that the Lord is good;
   happy are those who take refuge in him.

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

⁹ O fear the Lord, you his holy ones,
   for those who fear him have no want.
¹⁰ The young lions suffer want and hunger,
   but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Taste and see that the Lord is good.