How long, O Lord? (Psalm 13)

 

Psalm 13 (NRSV)

To the leader. A Psalm of David.

1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I bear pain in my soul,
and have sorrow in my heart all day long?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God!
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
4 and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”;
my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.
5 But I trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Matthew 6:25-34 (NRSV)

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 28 And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

34 “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

June 17, 2017 Sermon Notes

Most weeks preaching is the high point of my ministry. Some weeks it is not. This is one of those weeks. The events of the past several days have left me battered and drained. A steady march of tragic news: the tower fire in London; the shooting at the congressional baseball practice; the Philando Castile case; and Bill Cosby’s sexual assault case combined with several health crises within our congregation to make this the kind of week for which Psalms of lamentation were written.

Lamentation is not something that most American protestant Christians are familiar with. We tend to be more comfortable with the Psalms of praise and thanksgiving that we read last week. Our culture tends to gloss over grief. We tell people not to cry and come up with euphemisms for death. We explain away injustice. All of this can create a situation where our churches cease to feel like safe places to the very people who most need to hear a word of grace and healing.

The gift of lament

The psalmist feels no such hesitancy. David bares his soul to God. He lays out his complaint and makes known his frustration. He acknowledges the tragic state of reality and proclaims his long suffering hope for a better future.  The Bible tells us that David was “a man after God’s own heart.” If such a individual could be this honest with God, we can too. We do not need to pretend before the creator of the world. Lamentation is our opportunity to open ourselves up to receive a healing unlike any other.

One of the reasons that people feel hesitant to take their complaints to God is the fear of sounding unfaithful. The concern is that by raising our frustrations we will come across as doubting God’s promises, or even in God’s existence. This fear can lead us to paper over real problems and further isolate ourselves in the moments that we most need others.

Again, the psalmist had no such hesitancy. Even as the first four verses describe David’s sense of injustice, pain, and isolation, he proclaims his trust in the goodness of the God who made him. He proclaims that he knows that God’s promises will eventually be fulfilled. He has confidence that when that time comes he will be the first to praise God and give thanks for everything that has happened.

This is a perfect example to each of us how to handle weeks like this. We can go to God with our frustration. We can open ourselves up and ask God to get busy fixing the problems that we face. Doing so reminds us of the promises that God has already made to us. This leads us to increased faithfulness and can provide the confidence that we need to keep on going through whatever situation we encounter.

God’s faithfulness demonstrated throughout the Bible

Time and time again the Bible shows us what this process looks like. Several times God’s people found themselves in situations where the future looked bleak. There seemed to be no way out slavery in Egypt, captivity in Babylon, the oppression of the Roman Empire, or the consequences of sin. Whenever the people were on the brink of giving up, God sent them a reminder of the covenant. Prophets, pillars of fire and smoke, and even foreign kings were used by God. Ultimately, God showed up in the person of Jesus Christ.

This was the greatest reminder of all. Even when it feels like God is absent, Jesus is the proof that God is with us. This is the very meaning of the name “Emmanuel.” Jesus experienced the sin and injustice of our world and overcame it on the cross. His life, death, and resurrection are proof that our trust in God’s steadfast love will not be in vain. Through him we can rejoice in the salvation of the Lord.

Promise does not mean denial

Please note that this promise does not deny the brokenness of the world as it is. In fact, Jesus gave us very specific instructions on how to live in the meantime. In the midst of our lamentation he tells us not to worry, but to trust in the God who made us. God knows what we need. Our lamentation is real. Our worries are real. The sin of the world is real, but the promises of God are more real. Even when everything indicates to the contrary, God will provide food, drink, clothing, and more.

The reality of this promise is best embodied in Jesus Christ. It is the promise that we proclaim each and every Sunday when we come to worship. One of open best ways to ourselves up to hearing that promise is through the process of lamentation. David reminds us that we can bare our very soul before God and know that we are heard. Just as the faith that he proclaimed all those centuries ago is the same faith that we have been given today, the promise that kept him going is the same one that will sustain us each and every day.