July 15, 2020
As I’ve been writing each week I’ve been skipping around and focusing in on whatever caught my attention that week. For the next three weeks I’ll be looking at the appointed Psalm for the upcoming Sunday.
The appointed Psalm for Sunday July 19 is Psalm 86: 11-17
Teach me your way, Lord,
that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.
12 I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your love toward me;
you have delivered me from the depths,
from the realm of the dead.
14 Arrogant foes are attacking me, O God;
ruthless people are trying to kill me—
they have no regard for you.
15 But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
16 Turn to me and have mercy on me;
show your strength in behalf of your servant;
save me, because I serve you
just as my mother did.
17 Give me a sign of your goodness,
that my enemies may see it and be put to shame,
for you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
This psalm is a lament an expression of grief or sorrow. We know this from verse 14 where the author lets God know that people are trying to kill him. The hope of the author of this psalm is to motivate God to pay attention to their plight and to deliver them from those that wish them harm.
Not so different from the average social media post in this age of complaining is it? We always want attention, for people to see our plight, to take our side and often most importantly– for our enemies to be put to shame. We’re quick to complain and ask for help, but instead of turning to the ancient practice of the prayer of lament we’ve turned to social media and inward on ourselves.
The writer of this psalm is in over his head, he is serving the Lord, faithful to God and yet people want to kill him. He is frustrated hope is lost. And in that moment- he turns to God. The God he knows and describes as good, merciful, compassionate and slow to anger– all the things we struggle to be. The psalmist shows us that turning to God is hard times is faithful. That the practice of lament is a faithful one and simultaneously shares our hurt while putting our trust in God. Sometimes speaking the truth in the midst of our suffering is the beginning of hope and resurrection. But where we speak those truths makes a difference, if we take it to God in a prayer of lament it may be better than airing it out for all the world to see.
So lament, speak your truth, be angry about the current situation we find ourselves in. But pray to God about it. Because we believe that God is with us, that God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and that God has a plan even for such a time as this.
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