Sundays in Psalms: Feeling Forgotten?

 

PSALM 13

How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?

    How long will you hide your face from me?  —Psalm 13:1 NIV

At 53, I was diagnosed with a chronic lung disease called Bronchiectasis, complicated by Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC Lung Disease). I was told, “You won’t die from this, but you will die with it.” Fifteen years later, I’ve managed to continue life ordinarily—at least to those outside my household. Only my husband sees how much I sleep and hears how much I cough. Only God knows how often I release similar prayers to the one David prayed in this psalm. We don’t know what sort of infirmity David suffered, but all of us can relate to his conviction that God has abandoned him. When we’re suffering from pain and fatigue, when we’ve prayed for healing but not received it, when we’re waiting for answers that do not come—it’s easy for our frail human emotions to fall into despair. And why shouldn’t we? If God ever truly did turn his back on us, despair would be the only appropriate response.

I’m so glad David, by his example, lets us know it’s okay to pour all this out to God when we’re feeling it. To deny those emotions would only drive us further from Him, because to challenge Him with “why” and “when” means that deep down, we know He’s still listening, regardless of how we feel. That’s how David can conclude this gut-wrenching psalm in victory, declaring that he will trust in God’s unfailing love and rejoice in His salvation. 

Faith Step: When you feel forgotten or abandoned by God, tell him exactly how you feel. He can handle all our sincere questions and challenges.

Sundays in the Psalms: One Simple Prayer that Could Change Everything

 PSALM 12

Everyone lies to their neighbor;
    they flatter with their lips
    but harbor deception in their hearts.

—Psalm 12:2 NIV

With the emergence of AI-generated images, videos, and words, one never knows what to believe anymore. “I saw it with my own eyes” doesn’t mean much. Anyone can be made to appear to be doing or saying almost anything. Disturbing, isn’t it? Yet how many of us are truly transparent? We are all selling ourselves in some way, whether it’s to push a product, win a greater following, or simply to follow the standards of acceptable social behavior and good manners.

Whenever I’m asked what super-power I’d pick if I could, I give the same answer: the ability to hear only truth. Think about it. If every lie were mute, so that the only thing we heard was the truth, how much greater would be our discernment, how easy our decision-making? Political promises would change. Children’s explanations would sound much different. Even the lies we tell ourselves would be silenced, opening the door for us to receive and believe what God says about us. We’d be healthier, happier, more productive people. What a gift! Thankfully, we have Jesus. He perfectly discerns truth from lies every time. He even called Himself “The Truth.” One of the things I like to pray, especially when walking into a difficult situation, is, “Lord, may only truth be spoken in this room today. Silence every lie before it becomes audible.” Imagine what could happen if every courtroom, government meeting, church, and home were bathed in that prayer.

 

Faith Step: Try praying the prayer given above next time you’re preparing for an important meeting where it may not be easy to discern truth. See what happens.

Sundays in Psalms: Is Your Foundation Crumbling?

 PSALM 11

When the foundations are being destroyed,
    what can the righteous do?

 The Lord is in his holy temple;
    the Lord is on his heavenly throne.
He observes everyone on earth;
    his eyes examine them.

—Psalm 11:3-4 NIV

During the American Civil War, so many people died or were left wounded, orphaned, widowed, or poor. Broken in a hundred different ways. Yet good came from it, and the country survived. As a Canadian, I wonder how the rest of the world viewed the United States during that time. Since they didn’t have access to instant news as we do, many likely had no idea what was going on. Or perhaps they were too busy trying to survive to care. Maybe slave owners in other counties watched carefully to see what would happen. If the North won, the emancipation of slaves might spread to their country as well. Their foundations were being threatened. Those who were enslaved, however, would look to the leadership of the Americans with hope. An entirely new life might be possible for them and their children!

Does it feel like your foundations are being destroyed—in your country, your church, or your family? When Christian leaders fall, does your faith fall with them? When your marriage is in trouble, does that mean your life is too? When your nation is feeling threatened by internal division and outside terrorism, does it feel like there is no place to run? God assures us in Psalm 11 that He is on His throne always. He sees and knows. He is the only One we can truly run to and count on, forever.

 Question for reflection: In what ways have I experienced God’s faithfulness and power, even when life’s foundations feel like they are crumbling?

Sundays in the Psalms: The Kids are Watching

PSALM 7

Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out
    falls into the pit they have made.
The trouble they cause recoils on them;
    their violence comes down on their own heads.

—Psalm 7:15-16 NIV

While visiting her parents for the holidays, Kim was driving around her hometown with her mother in the front seat and her two children in the back. Frustration grew as her mom played the side-seat driver, sucking in air between her teeth when she thought Kim was about to pull out in front of an oncoming vehicle. 

In reality, Kim had grown competent at driving in a big city, where a single hesitation often meant a long, unnecessary wait. Resentment began to simmer. When her mother asked her to make a quick stop at a friend’s house to drop something off, Kim pulled in front of the house on the left side of a two-way street.

“You can’t park like this.”

Her mother’s admonishment was the last straw.

“Mom. I don’t care!”

Her mother jumped out of the car to drop the item into her friend’s mailbox, declaring that she wouldn’t pay the fine if Kim got a ticket.

No ticket was forthcoming, but within twenty-four hours, both of Kim’s children—at separate times—repeated the words she’d thrown at her own mother, right down to the exact hand gestures: “Mom, I don’t care!”

Fortunately, Kim had the self-awareness required to see herself reflected in her children’s words. If they weren’t allowed to speak to their mother that way, why was she? Her mother received—and offered—an apology the following day, and lessons were learned by all.

Questions for Reflection: How quick am I to recognize when I’ve fallen into a pit of my own digging? How quick am I to be a "side-seat driver?"

Sunday Psalms: Feeling Peckish?

 

Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint;
    heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.
My soul is in deep anguish

—Psalm 6:2-3a NIV

 

In the margin of my Bible beside Psalm 6:2-3 is a note. It simply says “June 22, 2012.” Even those nearest me could not guess what was going on that day. But whenever I see it, I know. Having been diagnosed the prior year with a chronic lung condition, I had sought a Naturopathic Doctor to help me get healthier. After working with me several weeks, she put me on a three-day water fast. The day before the fast, I was to eat nothing but fresh fruit and vegetables. Then, nothing but water for three days. She gave me other rules, too. Lots of rest, reading, and reflection. No driving. Don’t stay alone.

The first day, I felt hungry. The second day, I felt hungry and weak. By Day Three, I was convinced I had coincidentally contracted the flu. Every muscle in my body ached, my head pounded, and I couldn’t always keep down the water. I couldn’t sleep. Later, I learned these symptoms can be a normal part of the process when your body rids itself of toxins. They disappeared once I began to eat, and for the next week, food had never tasted so delicious. The experience was humbling in a way I had not predicted. I realized how needy I am for that daily bread I take so for granted. I came away with a much deeper compassion for those who must fight for every morsel of food, throughout their lives.

Question for Reflection: What is the longest fast I have done and how did it change me?

Psalm 2: When you just can't take it anymore...

John Lennon & Yoko Ono's poster in Times Square, 1969

 

 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.
 Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling.

—Psalm 1:3 NIV

The ache in my gut grew as I watched the nightly news, and questions flooded my sickened heart. Will the rioting never end? How long can a war last? Who died of hunger today? Bomb blasts? Suicide? How can the world’s leaders hold such opposing views and all believe they are right? Feeling helpless to make even the smallest change, I turned off the television and muttered, “O Lord. You see this? How can you stand it? Why can’t they all just serve you as faithful rulers and kings?”

It was a prayer of sorts, I suppose. As I read all of Psalm 2, God brought two thoughts to mind. Praying for those world leaders is not a pointless act. Though we cannot see the results, God is at work. He hears our prayers. He will make things right in his time. 

Secondly, God reminded me that each of us is the leader of a kingdom in some small way. Maybe it’s a business or family. It might be only a kitchen or a desk. For some, it’s limited to a bed or a wheelchair. No matter how small, we are each responsible for our attitudes, thoughts, prayers, deeds, and words. Imagine a world where not just every leader but every individual followed after God with their whole heart in true humble leadership. There is always something I can control. Start with that.

Questions for Reflection: Have I prayed for the leaders of my community, my church, or my country today? Am I managing my own tiny kingdom God’s way?