Psalms for Turbulent Times - Psalm 62 - I can't breathe

A mural of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man who died while being arrested by a police officer whose knee squeezed down on his neck for more than eight minutes.

Psalm 62[1]

¹    For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.
²     He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall never be shaken.
³     How long will you assail a person, will you batter your victim, all of you,       
       as you would a leaning wall, a tottering fence?
⁴     Their only plan is to bring down a person of prominence.       
       They take pleasure in falsehood;
       they bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse.                            Selah
⁵     For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him.
⁶      He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
⁷      On God rests my deliverance and my honour;
       my mighty rock, my refuge is in God.
⁸     Trust in him at all times, O people;       
       pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.                            Selah
⁹    Those of low estate are but a breath, those of high estate are a delusion;
       in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath.
¹⁰   Put no confidence in extortion, and set no vain hopes on robbery;        
        if riches increase, do not set your heart on them.
¹¹   Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this:
        that power belongs to God,
¹²    and steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord.
        For you repay to all according to their work.

I am finding it hard to concentrate on this psalm.

For all I can think about is a knee on the neck of a dying man in a Minnesotan street.

For 8 minutes and 40 seconds police officer Derek Chauvin had his knee on the neck of George Floyd. We learn that it  was an allowed form of restraint used by the police of that city and state. Even as the arrested African American pleaded ‘I can’t breathe’ to the white police officer; even as phone cameras of disbelieving bystanders recorded the deadly arrest; even as three other officers held him down, pinning his legs and torso; even as he lost consciousness and stopped speaking for a further two minutes; even then he was jammed face down into the tarmac.

And now many American cities are facing a new kind of lockdown – national guards on the streets, huge protests for justice, intemperate tweets from this lying President, rage and tears, 400 years of ‘tiredness’ and frustration. I am in no position to say anything other than I am ashamed, utterly ashamed. Knees are for kneeling in prayer.

This psalm is not a psalm of rage or complaint. It is a psalm of trust which articulates a willingness to wait for God to act. A singular sense of trust is evoked. The prayer suggests ‘resting’ in silence for God (vs1 and vs5) for God alone is the one who saves us and gives hope. My life, my death, my eternal reality does not depend upon riches (vs10) or status (vs9) or on the assaults of enemies (vs3). It depends only on the nature of God. And God is steadfast and just and will ‘repay all according to their work’ (vs12). Power belongs to God (vs11) and not to powerful men.

It is that last verse, about God repaying all according to their work, that I find most helpful today.

God’s justice is merciful – in that it takes in the full sweep of every human life. When we stand before the Almighty, this is the justice we submit to. But it also takes account of every action.

Here and now, justice is required for George Floyd. And not just him; for each and every one of the thousands of black men and women who have died at the hands of brutal policing tactics. And justice is needed in this life as well as the next for those whose tired and exhausted families and friends have been denied truth for decades. Denied because of cover-ups by the law enforcement agencies and judicial systems.

Has racism increased in our day? Are the police more brutal? Or is it just that racism is being filmed more? Just as violent acts need to be seen – unfortunately – so also does justice need to be seen to be done. Not knee-jerk justice. Just and true justice. Steadfast justice that does not turn a blind eye.

God will not be shaken. And nor should we as we seek justice for George Floyd and all those like him who have been cut down before their time.

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[1] New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)  New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.