Tuesday, June 3, 2003
Tuesday, June 3, 2003
Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; O LORD, heal me, for my
bones are shaking with terror.
Why? No one knows. It's been happening at least since the time of Aristotle. Many possible
explanations have been offered, but nobody really knows the answer. In the words of Yul
Brynner's king of Siam, "It is a puzzlement."
But there is a greater mystery. Why do we as bright and blessed people do things that go
against God's will or destroy our bodies (God's temple).
Are we crazy? In our humanness we certainly will fail, but God is always ready to bring true
healing and wholeness to our lives.
(Psalm 6.2
NRSV)
One of nature's deepest mysteries is why whales from time to time will beach themselves.
You've seen the newspaper accounts. Probably the most famous incident took place in Oregon
in the late 1970s. A crowd of 5,000 people gathered on the beach. They watched helplessly as
life ebbed out of 41 sperm whales that had thrown themselves on the beach earlier that morning.
Scientists theorized that even if there were some way to move the 15 ton monsters back into the
deep, their efforts might be in vain. Freed whales often turn around and swim determinedly back
onto the shore.
God of peace, forgive me and please bring me your healing. Amen.
