On Star Wars, the Psalm 13 Seasons, and the God Who Is Near Even When He Feels Far Away
I have something on my mind. Star Wars. I know, I know, but it is Star Wars month and there is so much to this universe. But this is personal too. Do you ever identify with Rey? She may not be the most beloved character in the saga, but all of these monumental things are orbiting her and all she wants is a good meal and to have a family. Maybe do something she loves along the way. And yet, she ends up being pivotal in the salvation of the universe. I won’t go into the story line of the messy trilogy in which she is the heroine, but just acknowledge she has been on quite a journey. She flees her home, wants to fight for good, seeks counsel in how to do it well and learns how to make some friends along the way. Again, it is a messy journey, but she finds herself in her do or die moment. At her weakest, watching her friends die, she says, “Be with me.”
Be with me.
Every time I see that moment in this supposed final film of the Skywalker saga, I get chills. Her facial expression, her tone, her eyes full of desperation and hope. She has had a life full of loss and loneliness, confusion and sorrow. She tried again and again to connect, and she tried one more time. There they are. The souls of our beloved Jedi characters finally come to empower her. To be with her. Their all-too-familiar voices echoing encouragement as she finds within herself the power to stand against evil one more time. What a powerful cinematic moment, the most moving scene in this entire trilogy. And thankfully that is not real life.
Star Wars has occasionally been accused of being a Christian story. But in this way, it is not. If we are to liken the Force to the Holy Ghost, this would miss the mark. For the Holy Ghost is ever with us. Not just at our weakest times, but in our greatest joys and everything in between. It is us who turn from Him. At times I feel my heart ache in a similar way to Rey. It calls out, “Be WITH me.” Yet, Philippians 4 says, “the Lord is near.” I am ever trying to shift my perspective to remember that God is omniscient. He is immanent. Similar to our beloved Obi-Wan’s explanation of the Force, “It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.” Ever present, in us and all around us. I have had times in my life when He feels near, and others where He feels very far away. Consequently, there is a Psalm for all of it.
Let us remember the Psalms of David, the whole account of the man who wrote them. He is most remembered for slaying a giant, writing vulnerable Psalms and being called a man after God’s own heart. But he suffered. And failed. And failed again. In these Psalms we see his highs, and also something called the dark night of the soul. In Psalm 13 we see him write, “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?” I believe Rey felt this kind of loneliness, and so have many, many others.
I recall many years ago, one of my own Psalm 13 seasons when I first moved out. I was in a new town, a new home, a new community, looking for belonging… Every morning I woke up feeling disoriented. Every night I would crawl into the bed and feel alone. I would put on a recording of Scripture and would keep coming back to Psalm 42. It is one of my favorites to this day. It reads, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night.” Sometimes I would soothe myself with a song. One of them that I kept coming back to was the simple yet powerful, “God is so good.” Eventually, I went from tears being my food to this sense of peace that God was with me. It was almost like He was sitting at the end of my bed, listening to my little song, my expression of faith.
And yet, David also wrote, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” I think each one of us will feel the presence of God differently in different times and seasons. In fact, I think that this dark night of the soul doesn’t disqualify us from relationship with God, but is proof of a life pursuing Him.
So, I will say, “Lord, help me be with YOU.”
After all, I am His child, it is His plan and His purpose in which I am invested. I wonder…the next time my nerd girl comes out and I reach for the phrase, May the Force be with you, I think my heart will actually mean, May the Force of the Holy Spirit be with you. Or more precisely – May you be with HIM.
References and Inspirations:
Abrams, J. J., and Rian Johnson, directors. Star Wars sequel trilogy (Episodes VII–IX). Lucasfilm, 2015–2019.
Marquand, Richard, director. Return of the Jedi. Lucasfilm, 1983.