A ministry of presence

Friday June 23, 2017

Psalm 13

How long will you forget me, LORD?

Forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

How long will I be left to my own wits,

Agony filling my heart?  Daily?

How long will my enemy keep defeating me?

Look at me!

Answer me, LORD my God!

Restore sight to my eyes!

Otherwise, I’ll sleep the sleep of death,

And my enemy will say, “I won!”

My foes will rejoice over my downfall.

But I have trusted in your faithful love.

My heart will rejoice in your salvation.

Yes, I will sing to the LORD

Because he has been good to me.

The Lament psalms give us a template for faithful response to others who find themselves in the pit.  We live in such a face paced society that we allow almost no time to grieve or to suffer.  When we transpose that secular expectation into our faith communities, we do a disservice to one another.  Here is a place to honor the plea “how long, Oh Lord?”  Here is a place where we can create a safe place to honestly share our doubts, fears and struggles.  Here is a place where on any given Sunday we can lean on the praise and faithfulness of one another if we find ourselves in the pit.

Prayer:  God of desert places, we remember the moments that Christ suffered and know that we are not alone in our suffering.  Help us to be mindful of those in our world who have found themselves in a place of abandonment.  In your Holy name we pray, Amen.