Our Lord Jesus Christ is present in the words of the Prophets, sometimes speaking in His own voice and at other times voicing our struggles, for He unites Himself with us, as it is written, "the two shall become one flesh." This is why, in the Gospel, the Lord refers to marriage by declaring that they are no longer two but one flesh. He took on our mortal form, uniting with our humanity, yet He remains the Creator while we are the created. Therefore, whatever our Lord communicates through the flesh He embraced pertains to both the exalted Head in heaven and the members still journeying through their earthly trials. Let us attentively listen as our Lord Jesus Christ expresses Himself in the prophecies. The Psalms were sung well before the Lord was born of Mary; however, He was not made Lord only then, for He has been the Creator from eternity, but temporarily took on the form of His own creation. Let us place our faith in this Divine nature, striving to comprehend Him as equal to the Father. This Godhead, equal to the Father, shared in our mortal existence through our humanity so that we might partake of His Divine essence, also drawing from His nature.
"O Lord, you have searched me and known me" (Psalm 138:1). Let this be proclaimed directly by our Lord Jesus Christ, expressing to the Father: "Lord." The Father is acknowledged as Lord only because He chose to be born as flesh and blood. He is both the Father of God and the Lord of humanity. Do you recognize to whom He is Father? It is His equal Son. The Apostle states, "Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God" (Philippians 2:6-7). This form that the Father possesses is equally reflected in the only-begotten Son, who originates from His own essence. Yet for our sake, that we may be transformed and partake of His Divine nature, He embraced our mortality; the Apostle reminds us, "But He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men" (Philippians 2:7). He was in the Form of God, equal to the Father, yet He assumed the form of a servant to demonstrate humility.
"You know my sitting down and my rising up" (Psalm 138:2). What does it mean to sit or rise? It signifies that one who sits is in humility. The Lord sat in His Passion and rose in His Resurrection. He declares that "You knew it," acknowledging Your will in these events, for it was Your decision. When we understand the words of the Head concerning the Body: a person humbles themselves in repentance when they sit, and they rise when their transgressions are pardoned, elevated to the hope of eternal life. Do not elevate yourself without first humbling yourself, for many wish to stand without sitting down, hoping to appear righteous before recognizing their own sinfulness.
"You understand my thoughts from afar; You mark my path and my resting place" (Psalm 138:3). What is afar? While I am still on my journey, even before reaching my true home, You know my thoughts... Reflect on the parable of the prodigal son who wandered into a distant land. After enduring toil, suffering, and hardship, he remembered his father and resolved to return, saying, "I will arise and go to my father." His intention to "arise" came before he settled back into his former state. "You knew my sitting down and rising up." He began in want and arose driven by his longing for sustenance. You understand my thoughts from a distance. Although I have traveled far, where can I not find You, whom I have abandoned? The Lord says in the Gospel that the Father met him while he was still on his journey, truly understanding his thoughts from afar. "What is my path?" It is the route I took. "What is my limit?" It is what I have achieved. You have observed my journey and my limitations—a limit that, despite its distance, has not escaped Your watchful eyes. I have traveled far, yet You were ever-present, foreseeing my ways even before I embarked upon them, allowing me to wander that I might eventually seek Your path once more. No falsehood resides within me as I recognize my distance from You, the source of true goodness; without You, I am nothing.
"Behold, O Lord, You know all my works, past and present" (Psalm 138:5). You recognized my most recent actions while I was with the swine, and You saw my earlier works when I demanded my inheritance. These initial actions yielded the greatest sorrows: the ancient transgression that led to our fall and the chastisement that brought us into this enduring mortality. If this is the last of our sinfulness, so also shall it be if we desire to return. For there remains a final judgment for the wicked, where it will be decreed, "Depart into the everlasting fire" (Matthew 25:41). You have created me and placed Your hand upon me—fashioned in the sphere of this mortality, destined for the labor to which we have all been called. No one exists without God's formation in the womb, as every creature's maker is God Himself. You have conceived me into the toil of life, placing upon me Your guiding hand that humbles the proud, for through His grace, He lowers the proud to lift up the humble.
"Your skill has been wonderfully displayed in me; it has become steadfast, yet I cannot grasp it" (Psalm 138:6). Listen intently, for here is a profound truth, though somewhat veiled, yet brings much joy upon comprehension. Moses, that holy servant of God, conversed with the Lord amidst a cloud, seeking knowledge of God's presence. His desire was to see God's glory, pleading, "If I have found favor in Your sight, show me Your glory" (Exodus 33:13). Though earnestly seeking, God revealed, "You cannot see My face; for no one may see My face and live" (Exodus 33:20). But He told Moses He would place him in a cleft of the rock, allowing him only to glimpse His back as He passed by. This brings forth a profound mystery, as the imagery suggests that God possesses both a front and a back in His divine majesty. Such thoughts are beyond human comprehension. Those who were in opposition to the Lord they once encountered sought salvation, only to be advised, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38). They caught sight of His back, for the presence of God's grace was only obscured while He was among them. When He departed, their eyes were opened, prompting the disciples to inquire, "What shall we do?" These transitions demonstrate the journey from cruelty to compassion, anger to fear, hardness to gentleness, blindness to enlightenment.
"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?" (Psalm 138:7). A fugitive cannot escape the discerning gaze of the One from whom he flees. How can one seek refuge whose boundaries are exhausted? "If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, You are present" (Psalm 138:8). In desperation, the errant one has discovered they can never truly part from the Lord they wish to evade. He is everywhere; where can you escape? If I fall into the depths of sin and refuse to confess, saying, "Who sees me?" Thou art there to punish. What refuge awaits one fleeing from Your presence, seeking to evade Your judgment? "If I take wings and dwell in the most distant sea" (Psalm 138:9), how foolishly optimistic to think such a distance can separate me from You. Regardless of how far I run, I cannot escape Your watchful eye.
"Even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me" (Psalm 138:10). Let us reflect on this, beloved brethren; may it be our hope and comfort. Let us reclaim the wings we've lost to desires of the flesh. Sin has weighed us down, grounding us from soaring into the freedom of God's Spirit. As we fell, we lost our wings and were ensnared, yet He has redeemed us through His blood. He grants us new wings through His commandments, enabling us to rise unbound. We must have wings, and He must guide us, for He is our Helper. We possess free will, but what can we accomplish without His assistance?
As for the long journey ahead, one may say: "Perhaps darkness will cover me" (Psalm 138:11). I have put my faith in Christ, and He has lifted me on the wings of love... As I consider the extent of the journey, even the night seems bright in my rapture, because during those dark hours, I despaired over the vast sea of trials and the arduous path. I am grateful to the One who reached out to me while I was a fugitive, who chastened me to ensure my return, who transformed my darkness into light. In this life, night will arrive; how is it that night brightens? Because Christ entered the night. "Even darkness is not dark to You" (Psalm 138:12). God does not make the darkness worse, but rather illuminates it; it is stated in another psalm: "You, O Lord, will light my lamp; my God will enlighten my darkness.” Those who bring greater darkness upon themselves are the wicked, for when they sin but do not confess, they remain in darkness. If you find yourself in sin, acknowledge it, and you will receive illumination. If you defend your errors, you deepen your own darkness. How will you escape from doubled darkness if you struggle in single darkness? Let us not darken our own hearts by justifying our sins; instead, may we find joy in confession, and the night shall become as bright as day.
The night is akin to day; the day's light represents worldly enjoyment, while the night signifies life's adversities. However, if we recognize that our struggles amid our sins produce adversity, and that our Father's corrective measures are sweet to us, we will see that even the darkest night may serve as illumination. When our Lord Christ arrived to dwell within our souls through faith, promising a new light while strengthening our patience, we learn to remain steadfast amidst life's trials, not swaying with the tides of fortune, but instead praising God in every circumstance—whether in abundance or lack, in health or illness. His darkness does not overwhelm me, as His light does not elevate me.
"For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb" (Psalm 138:13). The Creator dwells within, occupying not only my heart but also my very essence. Thus, He fills me with joy from His light of Wisdom. What then? Do you not find joy in earthly successes, fortunate times, respect, wealth, or family? No, he says. Why? Because Lord, You have grasped my essence, my very being was created before I even entered this world. While in my mother’s womb, I did not disdain the dichotomy of light and darkness, but now, as I leave that comforting place, I see them with indifference, realizing that what brings joy or sorrow in this world is transient. The focus must remain on righteousness, love, faith, and hope in God, loving both Him and our neighbors. After these trials, we will inherit an unshakable light, a day that never fades. All that seems bright or bleak in this life is temporary.
"I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and my soul knows it very well" (Psalm 138:14). Your wondrous knowledge expanded beyond what I could comprehend. Now, I recognize it because the night is illuminated by joy, thanks to Your grace. You have embraced me from my very conception, and Your creation is not hidden from Your sight. "My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth" (Psalm 138:15). Your diligent artistry has been fashioned within, and while the physical body may be weak, the strength You have implanted in me cannot be broken, regardless of any external afflictions. You provide me with steadfast endurance, evident even in the trials I face, reflecting the truth that "our patience is from God."
THEOSIS