Like a sparrow…

I have watched, and am even as it were a sparrow, that sits alone upon the housetop. (Psalm 102:7)

It’s tough to be lonely, to sit alone day after day, night after night. Many have done that and many continue to do that in the midst of a global pandemic. But also in the midst of life. There are abundant prayers in almost any tradition for those who live alone, that they may not be lonely. But so many are. I have a distinct memory of a number of years ago, sitting in my chair in my little one bedroom apartment, reading this Psalm (from Morning Prayer Day 19, Book of Common Prayer) Life very much felt like that sparrow alone on a housetop. No companions, only plaintive songs to sing. But I also felt surrounded by the love and the wide arms of God in that loneliness. I was alone, but not completely. For the remainder of this Psalm abounds with praise for God’s enduring presence throughout eternity. ‘But thou, O Lord, shall endure forever…’ (vs. 12) So even in loneliness one is not completely alone. God is there, for God endures. No matter what the individual concept of God might be, loneliness also includes God. If any reading this blog feel like that sparrow, be assured love and God and all that is good about both surrounds and upholds.